Ottawa Citizen

B.C. killer Ellard granted escorted releases from jail

Time with son will be helpful: parole board

- KIM BOLAN

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. • Notorious killer Kelly Ellard will be allowed to take her young son to some of his appointmen­ts in the community, the Parole Board of Canada decided Monday.

Parole board members Alex Dantzer and Jim Hart said that while Ellard continues to minimize her role in the 1997 murder of teen Reena Virk, her risk in the community can be managed.

And he said her community management team thinks the “escorted temporary absences” will be beneficial for both Ellard and her young son, who was born about four months ago.

Ellard will be allowed to leave the Fraser Valley Institutio­n in B.C. with jail guards or other approved escorts up to four times a month for four hours over the next three months. She will take her baby to medical appointmen­ts and other activities to socialize her son.

Last month, two other board members were split on whether Ellard should be granted the ETAs, leading to a second hearing Monday to resolve the same issue.

Ellard assured the board that she didn’t get pregnant on purpose and was not trying to use her child to get special privileges.

Last month, Ellard told the parole board that her baby has completely changed her outlook, making her feel more confident and giving her hope for the future.

She wept when she talked about the baby boy, whom she described only as her child.

The baby is living with Ellard at the Fraser Valley Institutio­n annex where she’s serving a life sentence for murdering Virk almost 20 years ago.

“I can’t even talk about this baby without crying,” Ellard said, breaking down and wiping her eyes. “It’s been very therapeuti­c so far, very calming … It’s very motivating for me. It’s the best therapy for me.”

Ellard was convicted of second-degree murder for brutally beating and drowning Virk under a Victoria bridge when both were just teens.

Ellard had requested the board grant her up to five escorted temporary absences from prison each month, so she could take the baby to medical appointmen­ts and socialize him in the community.

One parole board member said last month that she had concerns about Ellard’s relationsh­ip with the baby’s father, a criminal who had his parole revoked last August.

He wasn’t named at the hearing, but Postmedia earlier confirmed his identity as Darwin Dorozan, a gang associate.

Ellard said her “partner” had been doing well on parole, working at two jobs, staying away from drugs and inspiring her to live better.

She said she doesn’t know all the details about why he was sent back to prison because they now have limited contact.

“What happened was very disappoint­ing to me,” Ellard said. “I don’t have the level of confidence I once had.”

Ellard spent the first part of the hearing recalling the night she and other teens attacked and killed Virk under the Craigflowe­r Bridge in November 1997.

She admitted she threw the first punch that night and later rolled a bloodied and unconsciou­s Virk towards the water, where she drowned.

“I had lit the lighter by her face. She didn’t look the way she did when she was walking away,” Ellard said, adding there was blood in Virk’s eyes. “Her hair was stuck to her face. It was something you don’t forget.”

She denied the version of events presented in court by her co-accused Warren Glowatski, who said Ellard held Virk’s head under the water.

“I asked Warren to help me bring her to the water and splash water on her face,” Ellard said Wednesday.

She said she wanted to see if Virk would “wake up.”

Asked about her thoughts that night, Ellard said she was fearful of getting caught and going to jail when she realized how seriously Virk was hurt.

“I had kind of gone on autopilot at that point,” she said.

 ?? NICK PROCAYLO / POSTMEDIA NEWS ?? Kelly Ellard was convicted of second-degree murder for brutally beating and drowning Reena Virk in 1997, when both were just teens. She is currently serving a life sentence at the Fraser Valley Institutio­n in Abbotsford, B.C.
NICK PROCAYLO / POSTMEDIA NEWS Kelly Ellard was convicted of second-degree murder for brutally beating and drowning Reena Virk in 1997, when both were just teens. She is currently serving a life sentence at the Fraser Valley Institutio­n in Abbotsford, B.C.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada