One of the main characters, Kelly Ellard, is convicted at the end ofUnder the Bridge, leading to questions about what she has done since then. The miniseriesUnder the Bridgeis adapted from the true-crime bookUnder the Bridgeby Rebecca Godfrey and the memoirReena: A Father’s Storyby Manjit Virk. Hulu’s fictionalization ofthe real story of Reena Virk’s murderis harrowing and difficult to watch but sends poignant messages about violence and teen bullying.
While the only true justice would have been Reena Virk never getting murdered,the teenagers who committed the violence faced legal consequences for their actions.After Warren Glowatski’s trial, he dedicated himself to changing himself for the better and mending the damage he did. This raises the question whether Kelly Ellard ever went through the same process of repentance after her court case inUnder the Bridge.
She Was Convicted Twice
The saga ofKelly Ellard’s trials dragged on for under a decade, starting in March 2000 and ending with the Supreme Court of Canada ruling in June 2009. Ellard’s first two trials are outlined in Rebecca Godfrey’sUnder the Bridge. In the first case, Ellard was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to a life sentence with a minimum of five years.
According to Godfrey’s book, the judge gave her the lowest sentence despite her history of violence – a detail thatUnder the Bridgeleft out– showing her privilege. Even though the judge went easy on her, Kelly Ellard’s lawyer appealed her conviction. Due to improper questioning on the stand,the appeals court overturned the ruling and ordered a new trial.Between the trials, Ellard was placed under house arrest instead of staying in custody.
The province prosecutors took the case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the sentence was reinstated.
Her restrictions were then loosened. However, her bail was revoked after she allegedly committed an assault. The second trial was more dramatic than the first, including Warren’s testimony and Kelly’s outburst shown at theend ofUnder the Bridge. After deliberations, the jury couldn’t reach a consensus, hanging with 11 in favor and 1 against conviction. As such, the case was declared a mistrial.
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According toCBC, the third case resulted in a conviction, withEllard being found guilty of second-degree murder again.This time, the judge sentenced her to life in prison with a minimum of seven years – the same sentence that Warren received. Again, Kelly Ellard’s attorney appealed, overturning the conviction. The decision wasn’t unanimous. However, the province prosecutors took the case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the sentence was reinstated.
Ellard Got Pregnant While Serving Her Sentence
According to Rebecca Godfrey’sUnder the Bridge,Kelly Ellard was granted conjugal visits with her boyfriend,whom she met online while in prison. The rule allowing these types of visits was meant to be for only pre-existing relationships, meaning it shouldn’t have applied to Ellard. After getting pregnant, Ellard gave birth to her first son while in prison.
The reaction was overwhelmingly negative, with individuals on social media saying her baby should be taken away and forced into adoption. After receiving day parole, Kelly Ellard got pregnant with her second child by the same man (viaVancouver Sun).Ellard struggled as a single mother for quite some timewhile the father of her children served his sentence. After his release, he got a job and began supporting his children.
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However, Ellard began experiencing intimate partner violence, which she failed to report – a violation of her parole. As such, her day parole was temporarily revoked. When it was reinstated, the day parole was granted on the condition that she did not have any in-person contact with the father of her children without supervision or written consent from her parole officer (viaSaanich News). As such, it’s unclear his involvement in his children’s lives.
Kelly Ellard Is Still Serving Her Sentence Today With Day Parole
Kelly Is Reintegrating Into Society
According toSaanich News, since being granted day parole in November 2017, Kelly Ellard (who legally changed her name to Kerry Marie Sim) has engaged as a community member while having structure and rules related to her parole. Because of her progress, she has been given more leave privileges,allowing her two nights at a community residential facility and five nights at her home every week.This process lets convicts reintegrate into society incrementally with the support of a care team and parole officer.
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Ellard has become eligible to apply for full parole; however, in May 2022, she declined the opportunity, saying that she wasn’t ready to be without the support offered by day parole. The board was still required to evaluate her, and she was declined full parole. They noted her moderate to high risk of re-offending and the stressors of motherhood as contributing factors in their decision.
Her most recent parole hearing included reports that Kelly Ellard has expressed remorse and victim empathy to her community management team.
While only Ellard and her care team can know for sure, her most recent parole hearing included reports that Kelly Ellard has expressed remorse and victim empathy to her community management team, also acknowledging that she played a larger role in Reena Virk’s murder (viaCBC). Hopefully, this change reflects Ellard’s internal growth since the events fromUnder the Bridge.
The Impact Of Kelly’s Conviction
The Conviction Opened The Debate On The Cause Of The Murders
Theconviction of Kelly Ellard brought about a large debate about what is called “girl violence”(via theUniversity of Toronto). The main debates were whether the killings were racially motivated or if there were other underlying circumstances. However, the book detailing the true-crime case and the miniseries that showed the (fictionalized) events that happened on that fateful day have opened back up the debate again into her conviction and the original murder.
However, whatever the reasoning behind the murder and conviction, Kelly Ellard admitted to her part years after her conviction, so that was a step in the right direction. As for Ellard, she has a strong opinion on the newUnder the Bridgeminiseries. The parole board, in her recent rejection, said, “You said the series is disrespectful to the victim and her family, and that the index offense was so horrendous that it would re-victimize the victim’s family.” It seems she is finally taking responsibility for her actions.
