Actress Reese Witherspoon's Production Company Develops a Movie Based on Reena Virk's Murder

Actress Reese Witherspoon's production company is developing a movie based on the 1997 killing of Reena Virk, the 14-year-old from Saanich, B.C., who was murdered by schoolmates.

It is said that Reena Virk was the typical girl who would desperately want to be accepted by her peers. Unfortunately she was constantly teased by the very girls she wanted to be accepted by. A couple of the girls knew Reena from when she spent a few days at a local group foster home due to her rebelling against her strictly religious family. These girls were heavily influenced by Los Angeles street gangs, and took pleasure into taunting Reena, and generally making her feel unaccepted. But Reena Virk never gave up on the dream of being a part of the group of girls and the local young gang culture that she found strangely appealing.

On Friday, November 14th, 1997, Reena Virk was invited to a gathering at a location near the Craigflower Bridge. This spot was often used as a place for teenagers to gather and do drugs, drink, smoke, etc, and is found west of the city of Victoria. Reena, who was desperate to belong, decided to show up. It is said that when Virk arrived, there were seven girls and one boy. There, she was abused by the girls, receiving cigarette burns, punches, and kicks. After the fight ended, Virk managed to escape, but was followed by a boy and girl from the group.. These two, Kelly Ellard and Warren Glowatski, dragged Reena back under the bridge, and beat her a second time. Apparently Ellard held Reena Virk's head under water until she stopped struggling.

On November 22, 1997, police divers found Reena Virk's body washed ashore at the Gorge Inlet, a major waterway on Vancouver Island. It was confirmed that Virk died from being drowned, however it was discovered that she had several fractures, and that the head injuries were severe enough to have killed her if she had not drowned.

On February 9, 1998, three teenage girls plead guilty to assault, causing bodily harm for their roles in Reena Virk's attack. On the 13th, three more teenage girls were convicted. The six names are concealed due to their age. This group of six girls were sentenced between April and May 1998. In June 1999, Warren Glowatski, was tried as an adult and convicted of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years. On March 9, 2000, Kelly Ellard was tried and convinced of second-degree murder, and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of full parole for five years.

However, in 2004, the BC Court of Appeal announced that a new trial would be ordered, due to improprieties in the way Kelly Ellard was questioned. While waiting for the second trial, Ellard apparently was charged for beating a 58 year old woman, and taken back into custody. In June 2004, the second murder trial began. Several witnesses, including Warren Glowatski testified that Ellard had admitted to killing Reena Virk and event went far enough to give tours to the murder scene. Ellard's defense was that she did take a part of the initial beating but only for self-defense. In July, a mistrial was declared, as the jury said it was deadlocked. In February 2005, Ellard's third trial re-opens, and in April, Kelly Ellard was found guilty of second degree murder and given an automatic life sentence. Her lawyers are considering filing an appeal.

Reena Virk's story was eventually turned into a best-selling book, Under the Bridge (2005) by Rebecca Godfrey. After reading the book, Reese Witherspoon's production decided to buy the rights to produce a movie based on Godfrey's Under the Bridge. Virk's father, Manjeet Virk, says he hopes the film will be "beneficial" and not sensationalize his daughter's death.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2007/05/05/virk-film-witherspoon.html?ref=rss