Not everyone in the world of stardom can handle the intense pressures that come along with fame, especially if you start off young. From constantly feeling watched and never being able to mess up, to being forced to grow up a lot faster and being surrounded by drugs and high expectations, some celebrities can crack. That is what happened to the actor, Ryan Grantham, who played Rodney James in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. His downfall was the murder of his very own mother.
Who Is Ryan Grantham?
Ryan Grantham is a Canadian actor born in 1998 in British Columbia, Canada. He practiced acting as a child and enrolled in schools specializing in acting. He started off his career when he was only 9 years old.
He is best known for his role as Rodney James as well as Jeffrey Augustine in the series Riverdale. However, his first debut was in The Secret of the Nutcracker in 2007, and he was in numerous other shows, such as Supernatural and Becoming Redwood.
He was studying at Simon Fraser University but had stopped attending prior to the murder.
Murder and Arrest
On March 31st, 2020, Ryan Grantham murdered his mother, Barabara White, by shooting her in the head while she was playing the piano. He made a four-minute video where he confessed to the murder, covered her body with a sheet, lit some candles, and hung a rosary on the piano. Ryan claimed that he loved his mother more than anything in the world.
Later that night, Ryan went to buy some beer and marijuana and went to bed. The following day, he loaded up his car with three guns, ammunition, 12 Molotov cocktails, camping supplies, and a map. He planned to kill the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau. However, he ended up turning himself into the police instead. His sentencing began on June 13, 2022, where they are determining his prison time and charges.
Why Did Ryan Murder His Mother?
Ryan told the court, “I cannot explain or justify my actions. I have no excuse.” Although no one can truly understand why he did what he did, the prosecutors read from his journal, where it stated his depression, problems with school and procrastination, drug use, and anger towards foreign students.
According to the prosecutors, Grantham struggled with mental health issues in the days leading to the murder of his mother. And according to reports, he killed his mother so she wouldn’t be alive to see the large-scale violence he attended to cause. Additionally, in his journal he stated that he didn’t want his mother to live to know what he had become, believing himself to be a failure. He was concerned his mother would find out about his poor school performance and his marijuana smoking.
What Awaits
Ryan Grantham has pleaded guilty to the killing of his mother and awaits his sentencing. He is being charged with second-degree murder, but whether he will be serving a life sentence or be allowed parole is still undecided.
Grantham was able to build his defense system by posting bail. His bail was $100,000. Most people can’t afford to pay this amount upfront. That’s what bail bond companies are for. If you or a loved one is dealing with a very high bail amount, get in touch with A-EZ Out Bail Bonds. Our bondsmen will bail you out, so you can build your defense team for trial.