The beating and drowning death of Reena Virk by a group of her peers rocked Greater Victoria and sparked international media attention in 1997.
And now a Hulu series that airs this spring – and features well-known actors – is sparking a resurgence of interest with its trailer launched March 12.
Virk, 14, was kicked, punched and eventually drowned in the Gorge Waterway below the old Craigflower Bridge on the night of Nov. 14, 1997.
Her body was discovered eight days later. Spotted from a helicopter, it had washed ashore farther up the Gorge Waterway.
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The true-crime series is based on the book “Under the Bridge” by late author Rebecca Godfrey – who grew up in Saanich and died in October 2022. A week before her death, Hulu announced it had ordered an eight-episode limited series based on the book.
Credited as one of the executive producers, Godfrey collaborated with Quinn Shepard to adapt it for the screen.
Craigflower bridge, site of Reena Virk murder now subject of a Hulu television show. (Black Press Media file photo)
Told through the eyes of Godfrey (played by Riley Keough) and a local police officer (portrayed by Lily Gladstone), “Under the Bridge” takes viewers into the hidden world of the teens accused of murder. Izzy G is Kelly Ellard, Javon Walton as Warren Glowatski and Vritika Gupta plays Reena Virk, with Ezra Farouke Khan and Archie Panjabi as Reena’s parents.
Ellard, who now goes by Kerry Marie Sim, was convicted of second-degree murder and first received day parole in November 2017. The parole board has consistently extended it in six-month increments.
Glowatski was also convicted of second-degree murder and granted full parole in 2010.
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