Ryan Grantham starred in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He's just been convicted of killing his own mother.

Actor Ryan Grantham pleaded guilty to killing his mother in 2020, and has now been handed a life sentence.

The actor will not be eligible for parole for 14 years.

On March 31, 2020, Grantham, 24 - who played Jeffery Augustine in the hit Netflix TV series, Riverdale - shot his mother Barbara Waite, 64, in the back of the head while she played piano in their home.

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.

According to court reports, Grantham went out to buy beer and marijuana after, then went to bed.

The following day, Grantham loaded his car with three guns, ammunition, 12 Molotov cocktails, camping supplies and printed Google Maps directions to Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, where Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lives. 

The 24-year-old allegedly plotted to kill Trudeau, telling police of his plans in his statement and in excerpts read in court from his journal.

He never made it to Rideau Cottage, though. Instead, Grantham turned himself in and told a police officer: "I killed my mum."

Aside from Riverdale, Grantham was known for his roles in popular TV series including Supernatural, iZombie, and the film Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Ryan Grantham. Image: Getty.

During his sentencing hearing in the British Columbia Supreme Court, the court heard how that in the months leading up to the killing, Grantham had been feeling "hopeless and had the urge to commit violence". 

He was also experiencing an "intense period of clinical depression" and contemplating taking his own life.

CBC added that the reports said Grantham decided to kill his mother "to spare her from seeing the violence he intended to commit."

Not only did he allegedly plan to kill Trudeau, but Grantham had considered mass killings, including one at Simon Fraser University, where he was a student.

His sister, Lisa Grantham, found their mother's body on April 1. She returned home concerned after being unable to reach her.

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," she said, reported by Complex. "It pains me to know he was a danger to her life."

Both she and her mother's sister told the court they "fear his release from prison".

Grantham will reportedly undergo psychiatric treatment while in prison. Justice Kathleen Ker, who presided over the case, recommended he should not be sent to a maximum security prison, given is 'diminutive' size.

"I think he anticipated what the judge gave him as a sentence," Grantham's lawyer, Chris Johnson, told CTV News. 

"I think he's pretty apprehensive about the whole thing. He's a fairly tiny person, and to go to the prison system, I'm sure it's a daunting and scary thought for him."

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Feature Image: Netflix.

This article was first published in June 2022, and updated in September 2022.