Nearly 20 years after killing Victoria, B.C. teenager Reena Virk, Kelly Ellard has been granted escorted releases from the Fraser Valley prison where she's raising a child.

Ellard will be allowed to attend doctors appointments and parenting programs with her baby up to four times a month, her parole board decided Monday afternoon. 

The 34-year-old convicted killer made the same request last month, but the two-member board was split in its decision, so her case had to be heard over again. 

Ellard's pregnancy was revealed in the fall, drawing attention to a little-known Correctional Service of Canada program that allows inmate mothers to care for their children behind bars.

Her baby was conceived during a conjugal visit from her boyfriend.

Ellard has spent about 15 years in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in the 1997 beating and drowning death of Reena Virk, who was 14 years old.

She took responsibility for the crime at a parole hearing in May 2016, following years of repeatedly denying her involvement.

Board members said she came across as "very entitled" when asking for release and denied her request.

With files from The Canadian Press