In 1997, Kelly Ellard gained notoriety after being found guilty of killing Reena Virk. With the assistance of other teenagers, Ellard attacked Virk when she was fifteen years old and drowned him. Within eight days, Virk’s body was discovered. The coroner compared her injuries to those of people who had been in car accidents.
Since then, Virk’s tale has been transformed into the bestselling book Under the Bridge, which served as the basis for the newest television series on Hulu. Izzy G., who plays Ellard on the show, presents her as cold, cunning, and without regret for her offense or any feeling of sympathy for the Virk family. We will learn more about Ellard’s trial in the series finale.
Since its premiere, Under the Bridge has received positive reviews from critics. But Ellard, who went by Kerry Marie Sim, does not feel the same way. Ellard reportedly called Under the Bridge “disrespectful” and voiced concern for the Virk family during a recent parole hearing, expressing her contempt for the show.
Ellard is now forty-one and has spent most of her adult life behind bars. Keep reading for everything we know about what happened to Ellard after her conviction.
What happened to Kelly Ellard?
Ellard was initially charged with second-degree murder.
The British Columbia Court of Appeals reversed her conviction after an adult trial in 2000. The ruling was made in February 2003. Ellard faced another trial the next year. A mistrial resulted from the jurors’ inability to decide at that particular trial. Ellard was given a life sentence in prison following her third trial, which took place in April 2005.
Where is Kelly today?
In 2018, Ellard was given day parole, a type of conditional release that allows inmates in Canada to return to prison or a halfway house at night and rejoin society during the day. However, she found her conditional freedom to be challenging. Since then, Ellard has had multiple meetings with her parole board for disciplinary actions related to domestic abuse and a positive drug test.
Ellard is residing in a Maryland residential facility. Her trouble adjusting to her new environment is described in parole documents that CBC News obtained.
As the document notes, Ellard has expressed frustration and anxiety about her situation, including her struggles as a single mother and the high cost of living. She and their kids were allegedly abandoned by her ex-husband.
According to the reports, the parole board extended Ellard’s day parole for an additional six months with three conditions: She may not drink, use drugs, or contact the Virk family.
