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Hulu's Under the Bridge series is based on the true story of the murder of Reena Virk. The main person responsible for Virk's murder is Kelly Ellard, who was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2005 and got a life sentence with no chance of parole for seven years.
Under the Bridge mini-series follows Ellard as she deals with the aftermath of Virk's death and tries to get back into society through a parole process overseen by the Parole Board of Canada.
It's based on a book by the same name written by the late Rebecca Godfrey. The book was published in 2007 and it's about a girl named Reena Virk who was killed in Canada in 1997. Under the Bridge goes deep into the case and Lily Gladstone, who was nominated for an Oscar, plays the role of Cam Bentland, a detective trying to solve it.
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Under the Bridge fame Kelly Ellard's conviction and sentence
In 2005, Kelly Ellard was convicted of second-degree murder and was given a life sentence with no parole for seven years. Despite being just 15 years old then, Ellard was treated as an adult during her sentencing.
Godfrey, the author of the Under the Bridge book, mentioned to Interview Magazine in 2019 how she got involved in the show:
"I was living in New York City. This would’ve been in the late 90s, and I was working on a novel about teenage girls in my hometown of Victoria, British Columbia. Then I started getting all these calls from friends that there had been a murder in Victoria."
She added:
"I went home soon after and went into the prison. I was just stunned because the girls all looked like normal, cool, young teenage girls, not particularly like killers."
Ellard was convicted after a long legal process. At first, she was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2000, but that decision was overturned on appeal. Her second trial ended with a hung jury. It wasn't until her third trial in 2005 that she was finally convicted of second-degree murder.
They said in court that Kelly and a bunch of other kids ganged up on Virk and gave her a beating. Then Ellard and some other kid held her head underwater until she drowned. Ellard getting convicted and sentenced to life shows just how deeply she was involved in the awful murder of 14-year-old Reena Virk.
Read more: Under the Bridge ending explained: What really happened to Reena?
Parole and current status of Kelly Ellard from Hulu's Under the Bridge
Kelly Ellard, or Kerry Marie Sim, has had quite a rollercoaster ride when it comes to her parole and where she stands now after being found guilty of killing Reena.
After she was convicted in 2005 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years, in June 2017, she got day parole, so she could be out during the day and then return to prison or a halfway house at night.
She decided to go by Kerry Marie Sim and her day parole keeps getting extended every six months. There are even rumors that she has two kids now. The Parole Board of Canada is keeping a close eye on her as she adjusts back to society, after the events that were shown in Under the Bridge.
Under the Bridge can be exclusively watched on the Hulu streaming platform.
Read more: What is the true story behind Hulu’s Under the Bridge? Explained
