Young actor allegedly killed his mother to spare her from witnessing assassination of Justin Trudeau

Ryan Grantham, the young Canadian actor who played in 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' allegedly killed his mother to spare her from witnessing his plan to assassinate Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

On Monday, the British Columbia Supreme Court began his sentencing hearing to determine how long he will have to serve until he can apply for parole. Those charged with second-degree murder typically face a life sentence. However, they can receive parole after 10 to 25 years. 

The actor from Riverdale allegedly shot his mother, Barbara Waite, 64, in the back of the head while she was playing piano on March 31, 2020. Grantham, 24, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March of this year. 

During the hearings on Monday, prosecutors claimed that Grantham had rehearsed the murder and took videos of the deadly incident, where he confessed to the murder and showed his mother’s body.

The next day, he headed to the Trudeau’s home in Ottowa after loading his car with three guns and a dozen Molotov cocktails ready to carry out an assassination plot against the prime minister. On his way, Grantham testes a Molotov cocktail in a remote area. 

However, the actor never made it to the prime minister's home and went to the Vancouver police headquarters instead to turn himself in. 

According to his statements to police and excerpts of his journal that were read in court, Grantham admitted to planning to kill Trudeau. 

Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnely said that Grantham was going through an intense period of clinical depression and wanted to commit suicide in the month leading to the incident.

Two psychiatric evaluations concluded that Grantham allegedly decided to kill his mother “to spare her from seeing the violence he intended to commit," reported CBC. 

The actor has appeared in several films and TV shows, including Riverdale, Supernatural, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.