Grantham pleaded guilty to murdering his mother in 2020.
Ryan Grantham, the actor best known for his roles on Riverdale and in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, had allegedly plotted to kill Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after shooting his mother in the back of the head and killing her as she played the piano.
The 24-year-old actor pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after killing his 64-year-old mother, Barbara White, back in March 2020 but new details surfaced during his sentencing in a Canadian court, where prosecutors claim Grantham rehearsed killing his mother and then confessed to the ghastly act on video, which was shown in court. That video also showed his mother's lifeless body.
According to the CBC, prosecutors claim the day after the murder, Grantham packed his car with three guns, ammunition, 12 Molotov cocktails, camping supplies and a map with directions to Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. Prosecutors claim he headed east with the intention of killing the prime minister. According to Complex, the alleged plan was read out loud in court from a police report and excerpts from Grantham's private journal.
Grantham is accused of testing one of the Molotov cocktails in a remote area before changing his mind and turning around from the 50-hour drive to Ottawa. Instead, prosecutors claim Grantham thought about committing an act of mass violence at the university he attended or other locations. According to the CBC, Grantham later turned himself in to police in Vancouver.
During court testimony, prosecutors brought up two psychiatric reports that stated Grantham killed his mother "to spare her from seeing the violence he intended to commit." The psychiatric reports also concluded the actor went through an intense period of clinical depression in the months leading up to the murder but maintained an "outward appearance of being well functioning." Furthermore, the reports concluded Grantham had urges to commit violence and kill himself.
According to the CBC, a second-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence behind bars.
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