A Washington state resident, Melody Bryant, pleaded not guilty in federal court to a conspiracy to murder in connection with Canada’s deadly Tumbler Ridge school attack. Investigators say she helped Jesse Van Rootselaar carry out the plan by agreeing to livestream the attack, providing financial support, and advising on how to delete messages to hide the plot. Bryant remains in custody, with a trial scheduled for December that is likely to be further delayed. Her defense notes she sometimes tried to dissuade the attacker, while prosecutors portray her as an active conspirator in a multi-fatal incident that began with a separate family killing before the school attack.
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Melody Bryant, also known as James Cody Bryant, is from Bellingham, Washington, and is charged with conspiring to murder people in a foreign country.
Investigators allege Bryant assisted by agreeing to distribute a livestream of the attack, providing money, and sharing advice on deleting online messages to keep the plot secret.
The criminal complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, and Bryant is detained pending trial, which is set for December 21 but may be delayed.
Jesse Van Rootselaar carried out the attack in Tumbler Ridge, killing eight people and wounding 27 at a local secondary school after previously killing the attacker’s mother and stepbrother at home.
Bryant’s defense emphasizes that she occasionally tried to dissuade the attacker, a point acknowledged by investigators, while prosecutors emphasize her role as a conspirator in the broader plot.