Former RiverdaleActor Ryan GranthamHe pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder for the murder of Barbara Waite his mother.
Grantham, 24, began his sentencing hearing on Monday, June 13, to determine how many years of a prison sentence he’ll serve before becoming eligible for parole. According to CBC News, the British Columbia court was shown videos of the Canadian actor rehearsing the March 2020 shooting of his mother, including one where he shows his mother’s corpse and confesses to killing her.
Prosecutors allege that Grantham also plotted the assassination of the Canadian Prime Minister. Justin Trudeau. CBC News reported that the Canada native started driving east the day after his mother’s death in a car packed with 12 Molotov cocktails, three guns and ammunition with the intention of killing Trudeau, 50, at his Ottawa home. Grantham refused to go ahead with the alleged plan and instead drove to Vancouver police headquarters in order to surrender.
“I cannot explain or justify my actions. I have no excuse,” the 24-year-old said of shooting his mother in a statement to the court on Wednesday, June 15. “It hurts me to think about how badly I’ve wasted my life. It seems absurd to say sorry when faced with something so terrible. But from every fiber of my being, I am sorry.”
Grantham’s lawyer Chris Johnson argued that mental illness contributed to his client’s actions. “At the time of the offense, this killing was not done out of hatred or animosity,” Johnson said. “It was done in Mr. Grantham’s disordered thinking, to prevent his mother from seeing what he thought he was about to do.”
Prosecutor Michaela Donnelly stated that the defendant committed a “heartbreaking breach of trust” by allegedly shooting his mother. “Barbara Waite loved her son very much, was an excellent parent and in her mind had no reason to fear him,” she said during the hearing.
The prosecutor also referenced two psychiatric reports highlighting Grantham’s struggle with depression leading up to the murder. According to CBC News, Grantham was depressed prior to the murder. Diary of a Wimpy kidActor was having suicidal thoughts and was worried about his mother finding out he had stopped attending Simon Fraser University classes.
Canada’s automatic life sentence for second-degree murder is imposed upon those who are convicted. The Riverdale alum’s lawyer requested that Grantham be eligible for parole in 12 years while the prosecution asks for 17 to 18 years of parole ineligibility.
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