‘Riverdale’ Actor Who Killed His Mother Allegedly Planned to Kill Justin Trudeau

Ryan Grantham, a Canadian actor whose credits include Riverdale and the film Diary of a Wimpy Kid, allegedly planned to kill Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Prosecutors in British Columbia revealed the alleged plot as the 24-year-old’s sentencing hearing in the British Columbia Supreme Court began Monday after Grantham pleaded guilty to second degree murder in March for the murder of his mother.

According to CBC News, after fatally shooting his 64-year-old mother, Barbara Waite, in the back of the head as she played piano in March 2020, Grantham the next day loaded his vehicle with three guns, ammunition, 12 Molotov cocktails, camping supplies, and a map with directions to Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, where Trudeau and his family live. Before the actor got in his car and drove with the plan to kill Trudeau, he allegedly tested a Molotov cocktail in a remote area. Grantham drove as far as Hope before he turned the car around with a plan to commit mass violence at his school, Simon Fraser University, or Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge. However, he ultimately decided to turn himself in to the Vancouver police and told an officer, “I killed my mother.” Complex Canada reported that Grantham mentioned his plan to kill the prime minister in a statement to police. He also reportedly shared the plan in excerpts from his private journal, which were read in court.

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Grantham was planning to kill Trudeau just after murdering his mother. Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly said that the actor killed his mother “to spare her from seeing the violence he intended to commit.” Her body was discovered on April 1 by Grantham’s sister, Lisa Grantham. Grantham pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March after initially being charged with first-degree murder.

During the sentencing proceedings, prosecutors shined a light on Grantham’s mental state at the time of his mother’s death. The court heard Monday how Grantham rehearsed the murder and took videos in the hours after the killing. Donnelly, referencing psychiatric reports, said Grantham was going through an “intense period of clinical depression” in the months leading up to the murder. He also reportedly experienced “urges to commit violence and kill himself, along with escalating feelings of self-hatred and guilt over his mother, potentially learning he had stopped attending classes at Simon Fraser University.” The sentencing hearing will determine how much time Grantham must serve behind bars before being eligible to apply for parole. Second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence, with the period of parole ineligibility ranging from 10 to 25 years.

Grantham is a former child actor with a number of credits to his name. He notably appeared in a 2019 episode of The CW’s Riverdale titled “Chapter Fifty-Eight: In Memoriam.” He took on the role of Jeffery Augustine, who killed Fred Andrews in a hit-and-run. He is credited with appearances in fellow The CW shows Supernatural and iZombie. He also had roles in movies like 2010’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid and 2009’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.