'Riverdale' Actor Ryan Grantham Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing His Mother

The 24-year-old former actor played Jeffery Augustine on 'Riverdale.'

Sep 23, 2022 - 21:06

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'Riverdale' Actor Ryan Grantham Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing His Mother

Ryan Grantham, a 24-year-old actor who was best known for his roles on Riverdale and in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother, according to multiple reports.

Grantham was reportedly sentenced at British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver on Wednesday.

As ET previously reported, Grantham pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after shooting his 64-year-old mother, Barbara White, in the back of the head while she played piano in March 2020. New details surfaced during a hearing in June, where prosecutors claimed 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.

Prosecutors also accused Grantham of plotting to kill Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Andrew Chin/Getty Images

During the trial, prosecutors claimed that Grantham packed his car with three guns, ammunition, 12 Molotov cocktails, camping supplies and a map with directions to Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. Prosecutors claimed he headed east with the intention of killing the prime minister before changing his mind and turning around from the 50-hour drive to Ottawa. Instead, prosecutors claimed Grantham thought about committing an act of mass violence at the university he attended or other locations.

According to BBC, Grantham ultimately decided to drive to a Vancouver police station, where he allegedly told an officer, "I killed my mother."

The former actor has remained in custody since 2020, law enforcement officials in Vancouver told Deadline, with sources adding that he had been participating in mental health programs since his arrest. Reports state that Grantham will not be eligible for parole for 14 years.

"It hurts me to think about how badly I've wasted my life," Grantham reportedly said in the third and final day of his June hearing. "In the face of something so horrible, saying sorry seems so pointless. But from every fiber of my being, I am sorry."

Grantham previously played Jeffery Augustine in a 2019 episode of the teen drama Riverdale and Rodney James in 2010's Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He also played bit parts in 2008 and 2015 episodes of Supernatural.