WARNING: This story incorporates graphic particulars which may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is suggested.
A brand new Hulu miniseries is ready to deliver mild to one of the vital surprising crimes in B.C.’s historical past.
Beneath the Bridge is a collection primarily based on the homicide of Reena Virk and the ebook of the identical title.
Virk was solely 14 years previous in 1997 when her stays have been discovered within the Gorge Waterway in Saanich.
Two youngsters, Kelly Ellard and Warren Glowatski, have been convicted of beating and drowning her.
Glowatski, convicted of second-degree homicide, was granted full parole in 2010.
Ellard, who now goes by Kerry Sim and was additionally convicted of second-degree homicide, was granted prolonged day parole in 2022, nonetheless, she stays behind bars.
Story continues beneath commercial
Sim was 15 years previous when she and a bunch of youngsters swarmed and beat Virk, and her trial heard she and her co-accused later adopted the woman to proceed the beating and drown her within the Gorge waterway.
Reena Virk killer Kelly Ellard is pregnant behind bars: report
Since Reena’s demise, the Virk household has labored tirelessly within the battle in opposition to bullying, talking at colleges and neighborhood occasions in an effort to stop others from being victims of bullying and violence.
The upcoming miniseries will debut on April 17 and have eight episodes.
It stars Riley Keough as writer Rebecca Godfrey and Lily Gladstone as Cam Bentland, one of many solely girls of color on the Saanich police pressure.
Story continues beneath commercial
International BC at 60: The Reena Virk homicide
The surprising real-life crime grew to become a catalyst for change, sparking anti-bullying and youth violence prevention initiatives, the creation of a analysis centre on the College of Victoria and artwork created to contribute to Reena’s legacy.
Chris Horsley, a retired employees sergeant from the Saanich Police Division, was the media liaison officer when Virk was killed.
Story continues beneath commercial
“On the time that Rena was murdered, APEC (Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation) was happening in Vancouver, so we had a variety of worldwide media, which usually wouldn’t be in our space,” he informed International Information.
“So it was an enormous story, and for the remainder of my profession was nonetheless the largest story that I feel the Saanich Police Division has ever actually undertaken so far as the media technique.”
Horsley stated he’s not stunned by the Hulu collection as that they had by no means seen that “stage of youth violence.”
However he cautioned concerning the glorification of such a surprising crime.
“One, I don’t consider any of the investigators have been ever contacted to search out out form of the true nature of the investigation,” he stated.
“And two, and possibly extra considerably, is I don’t need folks to lose sight {that a} 14-year-old woman was murdered and misplaced her life. And now, virtually 30 years later, we’re making it into leisure.”
Horsley suggests watching the collection with the information that it’s a TV present and there are lots of liberties taken with the story.
“One factor we do know, that in Canada, virtually 30 years later, youth crime has fallen,” he added.
Story continues beneath commercial
B.C. father says extra motion wanted to cease bullying
Dean Murdock, the present mayor of Saanich, was in highschool on the time of Virk’s demise.
“On the time, it rocked the neighborhood,” he stated.
“The concept that one thing so horrific might occur in our neighborhood, it was actually upsetting and really unsettling. And I feel the discharge of this collection might be going to floor a variety of these emotions for some people in our neighborhood. And it could be a problem or perhaps difficult to look at a few of that materials or take care of these emotions.”
Murdock stated as a highschool scholar on the time, it had a profound influence.
“It was a really saddening, a really unhappy and unsettling factor for folks to be coping with,” he added.
