Riverdale’s Ryan Grantham Gets Life in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Murdering Mother

Actor Ryan Grantham has been sentenced to life in prison, after pleading guilty to murdering his mother in March of 2020. According to CBC News, Grantham plead guilty to the second-degree murder charge, which concerned him shooting his mother, Barbara Waite, via a single gunshot to the head while she played piano. The verdict, which was delivered by the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver, includes a caveat that Grantham will be ineligible for parole for the first fourteen years of his sentence. Grantham is most recently known for portraying Jeffrey, a young man who accidentally kills Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) in a hit and run, on The CW’s Riverdale. His other filmography includes appearances in Supernatural, iZombie, and Falling Skies.

Earlier this summer, as sentencing initially began in Grantham’s case, more details were revealed regarding his alleged plans to kill Waite, as well as plans to possibly assassinate Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. According to reporting from Complex Canada at the time, Grantham had plans to kill Trudeau, which were revealed in both a statement to the police and excerpts from his private journal. Following the murder of Waite, Grantham allegedly filled his car with three guns, ammunition, 12 Molotov cocktails, camping supplies, and a map with directions to Trudeau’s residence in Rideau Cottage. Grantham ultimately never made it to Trudeau’s residence,  and instead turned himself in to the Vancouver police headquarters.

After initially being charged with first-degree murder, Grantham ultimately confessed to second-degree murder earlier this year. While second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence in British Columbia, the sentencing is to determine how soon he could become eligible for parole, with the period ranging from ten years to 25 years. This evidence was reportedly presented in an attempt to convey Grantham’s mental state at the time of the killing. The evidence also included videos that Grantham took throughout the ordeal, including one where he confessed to the murder. The evidence apparently also included evidence that Grantham had considered carrying out a mass killing, including one at his college of Simon Fraser University.

The proceedings also included a victim impact statement from Grantham’s sister, Lisa Grantham, who testified that her brother is undoubtedly a dangerous person.

“It breaks my heart she struggled so hard … only to be murdered by her own son,” Grantham said to the court. “She was vulnerable and Ryan gave her no chance to defend herself. It pains me to know he was a danger to her life.”