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'Riverdale' actor Ryan Grantham fears assault in maximum security prison after conviction for killing mom

The 24-year-old actor was given life imprisonment for murdering his mother Barbara Waite in 2020

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA: Ryan Grantham, who played Jeffery Augustine in 'Riverdale', fears being abused and assaulted inside a maximum security prison after being found guilty of killing his mother. The actor and his lawyer have shared their fear after Grantham was given life imprisonment for fatally shooting 64-year-old Barbara Waite in March 2020 in their British Columbia house in Canada.

The 24-year-old’s attorney, Chris Johnson, spoke with TMZ and claimed that his client “is at risk of being brutalized, or worse, if he's forced to serve his time in a maximum security facility,” given the fact that he is not strongly-built. The lawyer pointed out that though Grantham is an adult, he looks like a teenager with 5'2" height and around 100 lbs weight.

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Johnson noted that there are chances of the ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ actor being “physically, psychologically and sexually intimidated” behind the cells of the maximum security jail. The tabloid citing the lawyer stated that Grantham’s “age, size and mental state during this saga should be considered by prison officials -- suggesting even if the crime fits the bill for someone to be thrown in a maximum security prison ... anyone with eyes can see he simply wouldn't fare well.”

TMZ also reported that the judge who headed the case had even acknowledged the potential of him getting attacked inside a max security facility. However, though the judge proposed that Grantham be put inside a medium security prison, the final decision will reportedly be taken by correctional authorities. Currently, it has been said that the convicted murderer has been held at a pretrial center.

Earlier, Johnson had said of his client that he suffers from serious mental health problems. He added, “The psychiatrists agreed that at the time of this horrendous event [murder] he was suffering from a major depressive disorder and a cannabis use disorder, among other things.”

Meanwhile, the latest development has received a lot of backlash from people online with a user tweeting, “Crazy how when a white kid commits a crime they’re always concern about the jail they’ll put him in.” Another user replied, “You mean his lawyers? The kid that's afraid for his own life?? Why are turning this into a race thing?? Absolutely no one else believe they are right just read the comments here 🙄.”

The second one wrote, “Shouldn't have done the crime.. quit complaining the inmates are going to like that lol.” The third user said: “This white boy killed his own mom and they worried about HIM? Do I need to state the obvious?” “He killed his mother... He doesn't get to decide where he goes,” the fourth one asserted.

A sarcastic tweet read, “Perhaps a stay at the Four Seasons would be more enjoyable. I hear they have a delightful Denver omelette.” Another tweet added, “Anyone who murders their own mother is the worst of the worst.”