Ryan Grantham, an actor best known for his roles in Riverdale and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, was given a life sentence for the murder of his mother in 2020. In 14 years, he will be eligible for parole.
Justice Kathleen Ker of the British Columbia Supreme Court delivered the standard second-degree murder sentence on September 21 in Vancouver. The only true unknown about the sentence, which was already predetermined by the Canadian province's regulations, was how long the 24-year-old Grantham, who had admitted guilt, would have to wait before he could submit an application for parole.
Award-nominated for The Leo On March 31, 2020, in the family's Squamish home, just north of Vancouver, Grantham shot his 64-year-old mother Barbara Waite in the back of the head before turning himself into police.
In B.C., a second-degree murder conviction carries a 10- to 25-year parole ineligibility sentence. In light of this, the prosecution had asked for a parole ban of up to 18 years for Grantham during a sentencing hearing this year. The defence team for the former actor had requested 12 years as a reasonable punishment.
Grantham has spent the last two and a half years in custody after being initially charged with first-degree murder, law enforcement officials in Vancouver today confirmed to Deadline. Grantham has been participating in a mental health programme since his incarceration, and according to insiders, he is currently being prepared for transfer to a more permanent facility.
Grantham, who has roughly 30 credits to his name, is best known for his 2019 role as Jeffrey Augustine on the fourth season of the CW drama Riverdale. The character played a crucial part in the Archie Comics-based sitcom despite just making a brief appearance. In a hit-and-run that altered practically everything on the programme, Jeffrey Augustine killed Fred Andrews (the late Luke Perry) on the show. Grantham, who began his career in 2007, also made appearances in episodes of Supernatural and iZombie as well as the 2010 films The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Grantham recorded a confession to the murders on camera after killing his mother, as was later discovered in court. After meticulously setting up the body in a vaguely holy manner, Grantham left the following day. He also wrote in a journal that was entered as evidence that he was planning to try to kill Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at one point, with his intentions shifting constantly. Grantham also thought of carrying out a mass shooting at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver or on the well-known Lions Gate Bridge.
Thankfully, Grantham went to the police station in East Vancouver and turned himself in. He is alleged to have told officers at the station's main desk, “I killed my mother.
The actor expressed regret for what he had done back in March. Reading from a piece of paper, Grantham told the Vancouver court and Justice Ker, “In the face of something so horrific, saying sorry feels so meaningless.” But I apologise from the bottom of my heart.
