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Trigger warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of assault. It’s the crime that shocked the Canadian nation in 1997 and the true story of what happened to Reena Virk is deeply troubling. As a 14-year-old, Virk went to a school party one night and never returned home. She was found dead eight days later.
Hulu’s Under the Bridge explores the events leading up to her horrific death—the show premiered on April 17, 2024. The series is based on a memoir by Rebecca Godfrey of the same name, published in 2005. The book explores the complex dynamics of teenage relationships, peer pressure, and bullying; examining the lives of both a victim and perpetrators, providing insights into their backgrounds, motivations, and actions. The book also delves into the broader societal issues surrounding the case, including the treatment of marginalized communities and the challenges faced by adolescents navigating adolescence in a complex social landscape.
In the show, Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) and Riley Keogh (Daisy Jones and the Six) star as Cam and Rebecca, a police officer investigating the case and the author of the source material, respectively.
“A lot of times, the human element, particularly the people who suffered the most are the ones who get erased,” Gladstone told the Seattle Times. “The thing that happened to them becomes a sensationalized thing for the media and then it becomes something for consumption.” It was important, Gladstone noted, to include “the voices of the family and what their experience was with the media.” So what happened to Reena Virk? Here’s the true story of Under The Bridge.
What happened to Reena Virk?
The story of what happened to Reena Virk is nothing short of heartbreaking. At 14, Virk was the victim of bullying for everything ranging from her appearance, religion, weight, and ethnicity. She struggled to fit in at times and was accused of spreading rumors.
On November 14, 1997, Virk was invited to a party under the Gorge Waterway bridge, in Victoria, British Columbia, by a group of friends. At one point, Nicole Cook asked Virk why she was spreading rumors; Virk called her a “bitch” (per the MSNBC News’ special, Bloodlust Under the Bridge), so Cook put out a cigarette on Virk’s forehead.
Cook’s best friend, Kelly Ellard, and Pleich began hitting and kicking Reena, and the rest of the group, including Warren Glowatski, joined in. When Virk tried to escape, Ellard, then 15, and Glowatsk, then 16, followed and kept attacking her. Glowatski testified that Ellard had smashed Reena’s head into a tree and then held her underwater until Virk drowned.
Virk’s body was found eight days later, on November 22, 1997, in the waterway in suburban Saanich. Per the New York Times, her neck, back, and arms were broken; she had sustained multiple blows throughout her body and suffered a “convulsion injury as often seen in car crash victims.”
That attack was prompted because ”Reena was saying a whole bunch of stuff about the accused,” the sister of one of the defendants said, per the Canadian Press. “That was the motive: she was supposed to be spreading rumors.”
Millie Modeste, a student who had attended View Royal Shoreline Community School with five of the defendants, expressed her disbelief in the events. “I’m really surprised,” she told the New York Times. “They don’t seem like those kind of people.”
What happened to Reena Virk’s killers?
In 1999, Glowatski was convicted of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole for seven years. Justice Malcolm Macauley spoke directly to Glowatski during his sentencing. “Violence is not a recreational activity”, he said, adding that “the death of Reena Virk and the shattered lives, including yours, are a testimony to that”, per CBC News at the time.
During an eventual parole hearing, he said: “I feel ashamed. I wish I could crawl under a rock,” when recalling watching Ellard hold Virk’s head underwater, per CBC News in 2007.
Ellard was convicted of second-degree murder in 2000, while six other girls were convicted of assault for their role in the initial beating. They all pleaded guilty, while Ellard’s conviction was overturned on appeal. A second trial ended in a mistrial, followed by a third trial in which Ellard was convicted again. Her subsequent appeal attempts were overturned, and she began serving her prison sentence in 2005.
In May 2023, Times Colonist reported that Ellard was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. She changed her name to Kerry Marie Sim and is a mother of two. A 2016 risk assessment found Sim has a moderate to high-moderate risk of future violence, particularly over the longer term.
Under The Bridge is available to stream on hulu with new episodes dropping each Wednesday.
