Canadian actor Ryan Grantham, who pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his mother, allegedly plotted an attempted assassination against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, CBC has reported.
The 24-year-old’s sentencing hearing by the British Columbia Supreme Court began on Monday. While the charge carries an automatic life sentence, the court proceedings were held to determine when Grantham should be eligible for parole.
During the hearing, prosecutors said that Grantham — whose credits include the 2010 film “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and a 2019 episode of “Riverdale” — allegedly packed his vehicle with guns, ammunition, a dozen Molotov cocktails and a map to Trudeau’s family residence in Ottawa. He then allegedly stopped en route and decided to turn himself into the police.
On March 31, 2020, Grantham shot his mother, Barbara Waite, in the back of the head as she played piano in their Squamish townhouse. He planned the killing in advance and rehearsed his actions beforehand, considering the murder for about 15 minutes, according to prosecutors. Grantham — who is an experienced shooter — also filmed a four-minute video on a GoPro camera in which he confessed to the crime and showed his mother’s body, which was witnessed in court. It was the day after the murder that he set out for Trudeau’s cottage.
Meanwhile, the defense argued to take into consideration Grantham’s mental state and admission of remorse, adding that he had been expressing homicidal and suicidal tendencies in the months leading up to the killing. In victim impact statements, Grantham’s sister Lisa and her aunt said they feared his release from prison, according to Complex.
Grantham’s last screen appearance was in a 2019 episode of “Riverdale.” He also had minor roles in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” “iZombie” and “Supernatural.”