Years after Reena Virk’s murder, Kelly Ellard granted conditional day parole

ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) – A BC woman who killed 14-year-old Reena Virk near a Victoria-area bridge two decades ago has been given conditional approval for day parole.

Kelly Ellard has been granted day parole for six months but she must first complete a residential treatment program for substance abuse. After six months, the parole board will review the decision.

When she first applied for day parole last year, it was denied.

In February, she was granted temporary escorted leave to go to parenting programs and medical appointments for the son she had in prison.

Panel member Colleen Zuk said it goes without saying Ellard committed a “heinous” crime and that she was largely responsible for Virk’s death. “It’s very problematic in your case that there have been years and years of deception, of lying about the facts,” pointed out Zuk. “Today we found that you continued to somewhat minimize.”

However, she said she found Ellard to be more transparent than she’d been in the past, including that she admitted to planning to confront and harm Virk and that she wanted to “get rid of her” after the situation escalated to a swarming and a beating.

Zuk also acknowledged that Ellard had done trauma counselling and had the support of her case management team, who described her as making significant progress.

Ellard told the panel before the decision was made that there was nothing Virk could have possibly said or done to deserve such treatment. “It wasn’t about her,” she said. “She should have been at home with her family who loved her, not with us that night, and I’m very sorry.”

Speaking to NEWS 1130 yesterday, Virk’s mother, Suman Virk, told us that over the years, her health has been suffering.

“The loss of Reena and then, all the trials. And you know, the whole thing has taken a toll physically and mentally, emotionally. As long as these things keep coming up, it just makes everything fresh again.”

She adds she was expecting Ellard to be granted more freedom. “At this point it doesn’t matter because her behaviour has shown how much progress she has made in those 20 years. Maybe life would be easier if they just did let her out and then it’ll be all finished.”

Ellard was 15-years-old in November of 1997 when she took part in a swarming attack at a Victoria-area park and later held Reena’s head under water until she drowned.

Ellard is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder.