Ryan Grantham - an actor perhaps best known for his role in 2010's Diary of a Wimpy Kid - has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to murdering his mother.
In 2020, the then 21-year-old actor fatally shot his 64-year-old mother Barbara Waite in the back of the head as she played piano in their North Vancouver home, per Huffington Post.
Grantham - who is also known for playing Jeffery Augustine in CW's Riverdale - pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, after having initially been charged with first-degree murder.
Prosecutors revealed that Grantham had rehearsed the killing and took videos, including a four-minute segment captured in the hours after the killing, in which he confesses to the murder and shows his deceased mother's body.
It was also revealed in court that the actor left the crime scene with Molotov cocktails and firearms and plotted to kill Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau. He also considered committing a mass shooting before surrendering to police, per CBC.
During the court proceedings, Lisa - Grantham's sister who found her mother's body - shared a victim impact statement and said that her mother, who was battling cancer, was her "best friend."
"She was vulnerable and Ryan gave her no chance to defend herself. It pains me to know he was a danger to her life," she said, according to Complex. Also, both she and her mother's sister told the court that they "fear his release from prison".
According to the outlet, Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Ker said the statements from the victim's loved ones, such as Lisa's, showed the "life-shattering" impact of the tragedy.
In addition, Ker explained that Grantham's "saving grace" was that he was consciously aware enough of what he did and fortunately didn't go on a killing spree.
The judge also mentioned the Supernatural actor's mental health issues and noted that he had been having hardships weeks before the murder of his mother, and had been watching horrific videos on the dark web.
Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly highlighted two psychiatric reports that indicated that Grantham had been going through an "intense period of clinical depression" in the months leading up to the crime.
The reports also showed, according to CBC, that Grantham was "experiencing urges to commit violence and kill himself" and that he allegedly made the decision to kill his mother "to spare her from seeing the violence he intended to commit".
The outlet reported that the 24-year-old has been getting psychiatric treatment while in jail and seemingly appears to be showing progress.
According to CTV News, the Riverdale actor's attorney Chris Johnson said that Grantham was not stunned at the sentencing, saying: "I think he anticipated what the judge gave him as a sentence."
However, Johnson added that the actor was "apprehensive about the whole thing" due to him being a "fairly tiny" person therefore, the prison system would be a "daunting and scary thought for him".
The judge also commented on The Wizard of Oz actor's size and said she wouldn't suggest that he goes to a maximum security prison, per People.
Grantham will not be eligible for parole for the first 14 years of his life sentence.
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