Did Reena Virk get justice in Under the Bridge? Character's fate, explained

Reena Virk is a central character in the dramatized true crime miniseries Under the Bridge, which is based on the eponymous 2005 book by Rebecca Godfrey and Manjit Virk’s Reena: A Father’s Story.

The show revolves around the true story of Reena Virk’s murder, who was 14 years old when she was beaten by a group of her “peers” and later murdered by two of them. With the series finale airing on Wednesday, May 20, 2024, the final episode officially concluded the eight-part gripping true crime show.

In the final episode, Reena Virk gets justice as her two killers, Kelly Ellard and Warren Glowatski are on trial for her death and both charged with second-degree murder.

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Reena Virk’s killers were sent to prison in Under the Bridge

As episode 8, titled Mercy Alone, wrapped up the Under the Bridge true crime drama, the story dives deep into the details of Reena Virk’s tragic murder and everyone behind it.

The penultimate episode sees Reena Virk’s killers getting trial, including Warren Glowatski (played by Javon Walton) and Kelly Ellard (played by Izzy G).

Throughout the series, Warren Glowatski has always maintained that he’s innocent of Reena’s murder, but Under the Bridge episodes 7 and 8 see him first admitting to dragging Reen’s body into the water and then later, while on trial, admit to his participation in Reena’s murder.

While he was remorseful, saying to the court that “[he’ll] be sorry for the rest of [his] life,” Warren ends up being charged with second-degree murder.

On the other hand, Kelly was adamantly denying her involvement in the murder case until the very end, causing chaos to ensue during her trial as she breaks down screaming.

Despite being born with influence and wealth, Kelly’s family is unable to help her run from what she did as the finale episode sees her “guilty” of Reena Virk’s murder.

However, the privileged, rich treatment was still evident in Kelly’s case as she was only given a minimum sentence of five years in prison for second-degree murder despite her being the prime conspirator and executor of Reena’s murder.

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What happened to Reena Virk’s killers in real life?

Before the show’s credits, some true story details facts were shared with the viewers, giving more details on what came after the period where the show ended.

In real life, six girls, aged between 14 and 16, were prosecuted as young offenders in the youth justice system in Canada, later known in the media as the “Shoreline Six.”

Only two people’s real identities were revealed, Kelly Ellard and Warren Glowatski, as they were both tried as adults.

In real life, Warren was sentenced to life in prison with a chance at parole after seven years for Reena Virk’s murder in 1999. In 2007, he was granted day parole, and full parole in 2010.

Kelly Ellard, like Warren, was charged with second-degree murder. But unlike in the Under the Bridge, her case lasted for several years.

Her first trial was overturned on appeal, then a mistrial in the second trial, followed by a third trial, which saw Kelly getting behind bars again. Kelly has made subsequent appeal attempts, which were overturned.

In 2017, she was granted day parole after it was initially denied in 2016, and had a chance for full parole in 2022, which she rejected because she was “situationally not ready.”

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All eight episodes of Under the Bridge are exclusively available for viewers on the streaming platform Hulu with a subscription. Because it’s a Hulu original series, the show will not be available on any other streaming platform.