VANCOUVER — James Cody Bryant entered a not guilty plea Thursday at an arraignment in Seattle on a charge of conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country.A grand jury sitting in the Western District of Washington indicted the 30-year-old Bellingham resident last week for an alleged role in the February 10 shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.The US Attorney’s Office said Bryant was in frequent communication with the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, in the six months leading up to the attack. The indictment lists several overt acts the grand jury found sufficient to proceed.Those acts include an agreement as early as August 2025 to record the shooting and broadcast it over the internet, a test of the livestream that month in which Bryant confirmed the image looked “solid,” advice on where to attack and what weapons to carry, a further livestream test in January 2026, and a late-January PayPal transfer to buy a lighter for an improvised explosive device..The criminal complaint, filed October 2 and unsealed on the day of Bryant’s arrest, alleges the pair communicated on Discord. It says Bryant agreed to help set up an attempted livestream of the murders, offered tactical advice, and sent money for items connected to the planned attack.Van Rootselaar, 18, killed eight people on February 10 before dying of a self-inflicted wound as police closed in at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. RCMP identified the victims as the shooter’s mother and 11-year-old half-brother at the family home, five students aged 12 and 13, and a 39-year-old educational assistant at the school.The US Attorney’s Office noted that, according to the RCMP, Van Rootselaar was born male, had been "transitioning," and was "identified as female" on official government identification and law enforcement reports..Bryant was arrested October 6 in Bellingham and denied bail on October 13.Magistrate Judge Mary Alice Theiler ordered detention, citing the seriousness of the charge, mental health and substance concerns, and the difficulty of supervising internet access.The accused’s public defender has told the court that Bryant uses female pronouns and goes by the name Melody. Prosecutors in the state of Washington and court filings continue to use the name James Cody Bryant.The charge under Title 18 of the United States Code carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. The accusations remain unproven..The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg with assistance from the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The investigation involves the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the RCMP.Court records set the arraignment for October 22. Reporting from the hearing indicated Bryant entered the not guilty plea and that a trial is set for December.The February shooting remains one of the deadliest mass killings in Canadian history. BC RCMP and US authorities have said the investigation continues.Reporting from the hearing set Bryant’s trial to begin December 21.
