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Did “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” Actor Murder his Mom? 10 Facts to Know

Grantham, who is well-known for his appearances in Riverdale and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, admitted guilt to second-degree murder in March 2020 for killing his mother, Barbara Waite.

when Barbara Waite, 64, was practicing the piano, Grantham shot her in the back of the head. Justice Kathleen Ker discussed Grantham鈥檚 mental health issues, noting that he had been struggling and watching violent videos on the dark web weeks before the actor pulled the trigger.

Grantham had practiced the murder and recorded it on film. The film includes a clip from the hours following the crime in which he admitted to the killing and displayed his mother鈥檚 body after shooting her in the head while she was practicing the piano.

Grantham was first charged with first-degree murder, but on September 23, 2022, he entered a plea of guilty to second-degree murder. His attorneys testified during the trial that he had a melancholy, an anxiety problem, and suicidal thoughts before committing the act. Additionally, they made an effort to transfer him to a facility with lower levels of security after asserting that his diminutive size would make him a target for other prisoners.

Let鈥檚 learn more about Grantham Murder Case;

1. He Killed his Mum while She was Practicing Piano

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Grantham, a famous actor from “Riverdale” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” allegedly shot and killed his mother at their house while she was practicing the piano.

At the time of the incident, Grantham was 21 years old. He shot his 64-year-old mother on 31 March 2020. Barbara Waite was shot her the back of her head with a handgun. The crime took place in the family鈥檚 house in Squamish, which is roughly an hour鈥檚 drive from Vancouver.

2. Grantham Recorded a Video Confessing to the Crime

The 21-year-old had no remorse for what he did to his mother. Sadly, he went ahead and recorded a video of the crime shortly after Committing the murder.

After the murder, the actor captured his mother’s body on his Go-Pro camera and recorded it. He said in the video that he had shot her in the back of the head and She would have recognized him in the subsequent seconds.

3. He Covered His Mother鈥檚 Body With A Sheet

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After killing his mother on March 31, the actor then experimented with constructing Molotov cocktails, bought alcohol and marijuana, watched Netflix, and then covered his mother鈥檚 body with a sheet before going to bed. According to Grantham, he placed lit candles around Waite鈥檚 body the following morning and draped a rosary from her piano.

4. Her body was found by Grantham’s Sister

On April 1, 2020, Waite鈥檚 daughter Lisa, who had been waiting for Waite to return her calls and texts, discovered her body. The knowledge that Ryan posed a threat to their mother鈥檚 life pained her, according to Ryan鈥檚 sister Lisa.

鈥楬ow can I trust anybody when my only sibling chose to execute my mom when her back was turned,鈥� Lisa Grantham said in court. Lisa spoke to the court in a victim impact statement and described her mother, who was battling illness, as her best friend.

5. He Admitted Killing His Mother to Spare her from Coping with the Fallout of Assassination Plans

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According to what he admitted to authorities, his justification for killing his mother was to spare her from having to cope with the fallout of his abandoned plans to assassinate Trudeau and shoot up a school. According to reports, Grantham was also worried Waite would learn he was abusing marijuana and had ceased attending lectures at Simon Fraser University.

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6. He Had Plans to Killing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

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He was not satisfied with killing his mother. Grantham had other plans of killing Trudeau. Thus, after killing his mother he went ahead and loaded his car with three firearms, ammo, 12 Molotov bombs, camping gear, and a map indicating the location of Rideau Cottage, where Trudeau and his family reside.

7. He also Had the Intention of Committing a Mass Shooting

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Grantham, who was 21 at the time, had planned to murder Trudeau but instead went to Hope, British Columbia, where he turned back to commit a mass shooting at Simon Fraser University or the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. Instead of carrying out these crimes, Grantham drove to the Vancouver police station and confessed to killing his mother.

8. The Actor was Going Through an Intense Period of Clinical Depression

Psychiatric records revealed the actor had experienced a severe case of clinical depression. Ryan Grantham鈥檚 attorney said throughout the trial that the actor had anxiety, despair, and self-loathing issues. According to Ryan鈥檚 attorney Chris Johnson, before shooting his mother, Ryan stated a wish to hurt both himself and others.

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9. He Expressed his Sorrow Towards His Actions

After killing his mother, the 21-year-old wrote a journal entry. Grantham expressed his remorse for his actions.

 Grantham wrote: 鈥業鈥檓 so sorry Mom, I鈥檓 so sorry Lisa … I hate myself. There鈥檚 a lot of media of me out there 鈥� film and TV 鈥� hundreds of hours of me that can be viewed and dissected… No one will understand.鈥�

Moreover, while in court he expressed his sorrow towards his actions.鈥業t hurts me to think about how badly I鈥檝e wasted my life. In the face of something so horrible, saying sorry seems so pointless,鈥� he added. 鈥楤ut from every fiber of my being, I am sorry.鈥�

10. The Actor was Given a Life Sentence

Following his March 2022 admission of guilt to second-degree murder, the 24-year-old was given a life sentence on September 22. In Canada, a conviction for second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence, thus the question was how long Grantham would have to serve before he could ask for parole. The amount of time he would have to serve before being eligible for parole was up for debate by his attorneys.

They contended that because Grantham had accepted guilt and showed regret, he should be eligible for parole after 12 years, but the federal government said he should serve 17 to 18 years.

Considering the actor鈥檚 downward spiral in the months before the murder to be a mitigating element, Justice Kathleen Ker reduced the actor鈥檚 parole to 14 years. The fact that Grantham had a strong enough connection to reality and cognitive awareness to decide from carrying out a mass murder or assassinating the prime minister was also hailed by Ker as a 鈥渟aving grace.鈥�

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Grantham gained prominence for his role as Jeffery Augustine in Riverdale. Following the stroke death of Luke Perry鈥檚 character, his character was inserted into the program as the hit-and-run killer. Additionally, he has appeared in the movies Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, as well as the television series Supernatural.