The Parole Board of Canada has revoked day parole for Kelly Marie Sim (formerly known as Kelly Ellard) after determining she poses a risk to public safety because of drug use, rule violations and worsening behaviour while under community supervision.
The now 42-year-old is serving a life sentence for the 1997 second-degree murder of 14-year-old Reena Virk in Saanich, one of the most tragic and high-profile cases in Vancouver Island’s history.
The parole board’s latest decision follows a series of troubling developments, including a positive test for methamphetamines and multiple breaches of her release conditions.
Sim had been living under community supervision with extended leave privileges, raising two children while residing in a community-based residential facility on the Lower Mainland.
Her parole had been extended several times since she was first granted day parole in 2017. However, her most recent behaviour prompted a formal review and ultimately led to her return to custody.
According to newly released documents, Sim tested positive for methamphetamines and had previously avoided providing urine samples on two separate occasions.
The Parole Board said her actions showed “apparent attempts to delay” a urinalysis test and ultimately concluded she had violated her condition to abstain from drugs.
“Your failure to provide a urine sample on two separate occasions, apparent attempts to delay your urinalysis test on the day, and the subsequent positive test result is sufficient for the board to conclude that you breached the abstain from drugs condition,” reads the board’s June 23rd decision.
Sim was arrested on a warrant in January following the failed drug test and placed under house arrest. She did not attend a hearing and instead waived her right to appear, opting for an in-office review without media present.
Her parole history includes time at a Fraser Valley residential treatment program and incremental increases in community freedom. At one point, she had leave privileges of five days out and two days in the facility. That progress has now been reversed.
A tragedy that shook Vancouver Island
The crime for which Sim is serving a life sentence continues to haunt the community decades later.
In November 1997, Reena Virk was lured to a gathering under the Craigflower Bridge in Saanich. There, the 14-year-old was swarmed and beaten by a group of teenagers in a brutal act of bullying and violence. After the initial assault, Sim and a male accomplice, Warren Glowatski, followed Reena, beat her again, and held her head underwater until she drowned.
Reena’s body was found eight days later, her murder sparking national outrage and opening up difficult conversations across Canada about racism, bullying, and the treatment of girls and young women of colour. Reena, who was of South Asian descent, had endured significant bullying before her death.
Sim, who was a youth at the time, was tried and sentenced as an adult in 2005 following multiple trials and appeals. Glowatski was also convicted and has since been granted full parole after expressing remorse and completing rehabilitation programs.
Over the years, Sim’s parole applications have been scrutinized by both the board and the public, particularly due to her lack of accountability in earlier hearings. Her recent relapse and violations led the board to conclude she is no longer manageable in the community.
Sim remains incarcerated, and the Parole Board will continue to monitor her case closely should she apply for future release.
