Woman who killed Reena Virk calls new TV series disrespectful to victim
The B.C. woman convicted of killing Reena Virk described the TV series dramatizing the notorious 1997 murder as disrespectful to the victim and her family.
The comments from 41-year-old Kerry Sim – who changed her name from Kelly Ellard – are summarized in a parole board decision confirming the continuation of her day-release privileges.
"You have not breached any conditions, have not demonstrated any violent or aggressive behaviours, and appear to remain family focused," reads the March 28 decision.
"You recently also demonstrated some remorse and victim empathy after a discussion about an upcoming television series based on your crimes. You said the series is disrespectful to the victim and her family, and that index offence was so horrendous that it would re-victimize the victim's family."
The Hulu series, "Under the Bridge," starring Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough, has been generally well-received by critics, while leaving some who followed the news of Virk's killing 27 years ago – particularly those living in the Victoria area, where the 14-year-old was beaten and drowned – concerned about potentially sensationalizing the tragedy.
During Sim's trial, witnesses testified she told them she put her foot on Virk's head and smoked a cigarette while Virk lay in the water beneath the bridge where the attack by a group of teens took place.
Sim was initially granted day parole in 2017, and she received extended overnight leave privileges beginning in 2020 – but her parole was suspended the following year over incidents of domestic violence between Sim and her then-partner, who is the father of her two children.
She has since resumed day release, including overnight leave, and the Parole Board of Canada, in its March decision, decided to continue those privileges for another six months.
Her most recent psychological risk assessment, which was conducted in 2016, determined Sim would present "a moderate to high-moderate risk for future violence over the long term, and a relatively low risk over the short term," according to the documents.
"Your risk would be on the higher end should you abuse substances or associate with negative individuals," the decision adds.
Sim remains under several conditions during day parole, including that she abstain from drugs and alcohol, and avoid any "direct or indirect" contact with Virk's family.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Family of toddler found dead at small-town Ont. daycare no closer to answers after year of investigation
A year has passed since two-year-old Vienna Irwin was found on the property of a home-based daycare in small-town Ontario, but her family says they are no closer to answers of what happened that day.
More seniors are using homeless shelters. Here's why, according to experts
One of the country’s homeless shelters has seen an uptick in the number of people through its doors, including more older adults over 50.
The death toll in Kharkiv attack rises to 14 as Zelenskyy warns of Russian troop movements
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Sunday that Russia is preparing to intensify its offensive along Ukraine's northern border, as the death toll rose to 14 in an aerial bomb attack on a large construction supplies store in the city of Kharkiv.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels freed over 100 war prisoners, the Red Cross says
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Sunday released more than 100 war prisoners linked to the country’s long-running conflict, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
Man or machine? Toronto company finds a way to determine how real audio clips are
The Toronto-based research arm of life sciences technology firm Klick Health has found a way to analyze voices in a manner that’s so granular, it can tell whether it's a person or an artificial intelligence-powered machine.
No sign Canada has a plan to reach NATO defence spending target: U.S. NATO ambassador
The U.S. ambassador to NATO says she has seen no indication that Canada has a plan to reach the NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP on defence.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.