The Parole Board of Canada has extended Kelly Ellard’s conditional parole for a further six months.
Ellard, who now goes by the name Kerry Sim, was convicted of second-degree murder in the 1997 death of 14-year-old Reena Virk.
Ellard received day parole in November 2017 and the parole board has extended it in six-month increments on several occasions.
In January, the board stated the 36-year-old continued to make “positive progress” in the community and has complied with her conditions.
More than 20 years ago, at the age of 15, Ellard smashed Virk’s head against a tree after swarming her with several other teens. Ellard, along with a teenage boy, then held Virk underwater near a Greater Victoria bridge until she stopped moving.
Virk’s family has said, when Ellard first received day parole in 2017, that she has never shown enough remorse for her actions.
Ellard became pregnant in 2016 during a conjugal visit with her boyfriend and according to the Parole Board of Canada, her young child is a “strong motivator” for her to improve her life.
Ellard was convicted in 2005 after three trials and received a life sentence. Though a teenager at the time of the murder, she was given an adult sentence, due to the nature of the offence. She was eligible to apply for parole in 2013 but didn’t apply until 2016 and was denied at first. In February 2016, Ellard was given permission to take temporary escorted trips to parenting programs and doctor appointments.
As part of her life sentence, she could be sent back to prison if she breaches any of her conditions.
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