Ryan Grantham, who pleaded guilty to second degree murder in March for the murder of his mother, also had plans to kill Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The 24-year-old’s sentencing hearing was underway in the British Columbia Supreme Court this week as prosecutors shined a light on what the actor’s state of mind was at the time of the crime.
The British Columbia Prosecution Service confirmed that Grantham’s plea to second degree murder of his mother Barbara Anne Waite carries a mandatory life sentence.
The sentencing proceedings began on June 13, according to the Prosecution Service, and were held to determine how long Grantham will serve before he is eligible to apply for parole.
The Prosecution Service explained that the Criminal Code mandates that the minimum period of parole ineligibility for second degree murder is 10 years with a maximum period of 25 years.
CBC reported that Grantham had rehearsed the killing and took videos, including footage that captured the hours after the crime where he confesses to the murder and shows his mother’s dead body after he shot her in the head as she played piano.
After the March 31, 2020, murder, Grantham allegedly loaded his car with three guns, ammunition, 12 Molotov cocktails, camping supplies and a map with directions to Rideau Cottage, where Trudeau lives with his family.
Grantham mentioned his plan to kill Trudeau in a statement to police as well as excerpts read in court from his private journal. The outlet said Grantham never made it to Trudeau’s residence, and instead went to Vancouver police headquarters to turn himself in.
Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly referenced two psychiatric reports that showed the actor had been going through an “intense period of clinical depression” in the months leading up to the crime.
Grantham was “experiencing urges to commit violence and kill himself.” CBC added that the reports said Grantham made the decision to kill his mother “to spare her from seeing the violence he intended to commit.”
Grantham’s sister Lisa Grantham found their mother that April 1. Lisa shared a victim impact statement with the court and said 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. Both she and her mother’s sister told the court they “fear his release from prison.”
According to the British Columbia Prosecution Service, Wednesday was the last day of the three days scheduled for the hearing.
Grantham had roles in movies like 2010’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid and 2009’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. His last acting credit was a 2019 episode of Riverdale, and he appeared on other CW shows like Supernatural and iZombie.
