What happened to Kelly Ellard in real life after under the bridge

One of the main characters, Kelly Ellard, is convicted at the end of Under the bridgeLeading to questions about what she has done since then. The mini series Under the bridge is adapted from the true-crime book Under the bridge By Rebecca Godfrey and The Memoirs Reena: A father’s story By Manjit Virk. Hulu’s fictionalization of the true story of Reena Virk’s murder is 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 killed, 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 repairing the damage he had done. This raises the question of whether Kelly Ellard ever went through the same process of repentance after her court case Under the bridge.

Kelly Ellard had three trials for Reena’s murder

She was convicted twice

The saga of Kelly Ellard’s trials dragged on for under a decadeStarting 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’s Under 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 that Under the bridge Left out – show her merit. Although the judge let her off easy, Kelly Ellard’s lawyer appealed her conviction. Because of wrong questioning on the stone, The appeals court overturned the verdict and ordered a new trial. Amidst the trial, Ellard was placed under house arrest instead of remaining in custody.

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 However, her bail was revoked after she allegedly committed an assault.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 the end of Under the bridge. After deliberations, the jury could not reach a consensus, hanging with 11 in favor and 1 against conviction. As such, the case was declared a mistrial.

According to CBCThe third case resulted in a conviction, with Ellard was again found guilty of second degree murder. 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 was not unanimous. The provincial prosecutors, however, took the case to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the verdict was reinstated.

Kelly Ellard has two children (one in prison)

Ellard became pregnant while serving her sentence

According to Rebecca Godfrey’s Under 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 pre-existing relationships only, meaning it should not have applied to Ellard. After getting pregnant, Ellard gave birth to her first son while in prison.

The reaction was overwhelmingly negative, with people on social media saying her baby should be taken away and forced to adopt. After receiving day parole, Kelly Ellard is pregnant with her second child by the same man (by Vancouver Sun). Allard pushed herself for a long time as a single mother While the father of her children served his sentence. After his release, he got a job and started supporting his children.

However, Ellard began experiencing intimate partner violence, which she failed to report — a violation of her parole. As such, her day pass was temporarily revoked. When it was reinstated, day parole was granted on the condition that she had no personal contact with the father of her children without supervision or written consent from her parole officer (by Saanich News). As such, his involvement in his children’s lives is unclear.

Kelly Ellard is still serving her sentence today with day parole

Kelly is reintegrating into society

According to Saanich NewsSince 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 received more leave privileges, Allowing you two nights in a community residential facility and five nights in your home each week. The process allows convicts reintegration into society incrementally with the support of a care team and parole officer.

Ellard was eligible to apply for full parole; However, in May 2022, she declined the opportunity, saying that she was not ready to be without the support offered by Day Parole. The management still needed to evaluate her, and she refused to be completely free. They noted her moderate to high risk of re-offending and the stressors of motherhood as contributing factors in their decision.

Although only Ellard and her care team can know for sure, her recent parole hearing included reports that Kelly Ellard expressed remorse and victim empathy to her community management team, also acknowledging that she played a larger role in Reena Virk’s murder (via CBC). Hopefully, the change reflects Ellard’s internal growth since the events of Under the bridge.

The impact of Kelly’s conviction

The conviction opened the debate about the reason for the murders

The The conviction of Kelly Ellard has sparked a great debate about what has been called “girl violence”. (by the University 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 mini-series showing the (fictionalized) events that happened on that fateful day have reopened the debate on 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 it was a step in the right direction. As for Ellard, she has a strong opinion on the new Under the bridge Miniseries. The parole board, in its latest rejection, said, “You said the series was disrespectful to the victim and her family, and that the index offense was so horrific that it would revitalize the victim’s family.“It seems she is finally taking responsibility for her actions.

Sources: Under the bridge by Rebecca Godfrey, CBC, Vancouver Sun, Saanich News, Saanich NewsAnd CBC