Actor Ryan Grantham, who plays the character Jeffrey Augustine in the Netflix series Riverdale, shot his own mother from the back while she was playing the piano, killing her.
He later turned himself in, and at his sentencing hearing on 13 June, the 24-year-old was revealed to have planned on killing the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau after killing his mother.
PM Trudeau is of course alive and well and Grantham’s assassination plans didn’t come to fruition, with the actor now awaiting his sentencing for his crimes.
He is possibly facing life imprisonment for the murder of his mother.
Murdered own mother
Grantham shot his mother in the back of her head on 31 March 2020, while she was playing the piano at home.
Videos of the actor rehearsing the shooting were played in court, with the actor walking up from behind his mother and pointing a rifle at her, but not pulling the trigger, yet, according to TODAY.
CBC reported that Grantham was on a “downward spiral” in the months leading up to the murder, and had homicidal urges, as well as wanting to end his life.
He also spent long periods smoking marijuana.
On the way to kill the prime minister
The following day after killing his mother, Grantham drove towards Ottawa in his car with Molotov cocktails, guns and ammunition, according to CBC.
He was planning to allegedly murder Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada.
However, while on the way, he then turned around after changing his mind and started thinking about committing mass violence instead, at an iconic bridie in Vancouver, or at his former school, Simon Fraser University.
He eventually turned himself in to the police later that night, approaching a police car and telling the officer “I killed my mother”.
Apologised
Grantham apologised for his actions, saying: “In the face of something so horrible, saying sorry seems so pointless. But from every fiber of my being, I am sorry.”
He described his mother as a caring and compassionate person who didn’t deserve what he did to her.
The judge presiding over his case had adjourned the hearing and reserved his sentencing for a later date.
Riverdale actor
Grantham is more famously known for playing the role of Jeffrey Augustine in the Netflix series Riverdale, where his character murdered Fred Andrews, the father of Archie Andrew in the show.
Image source: Screengrab from Riverdale via The CW on YouTube