VICTORIA — Family members of a teenage girl who was viciously beaten and drowned on Vancouver Island nearly two decades ago say they wish their relative's killer well after a news report that she is pregnant in prison.
Reena Virk's grandfather Mukand Pallan of Victoria, B.C., says he hopes becoming a mother will inspire Kelly Ellard.
"I hope she tries to get better and tries to be a better mother and live her life," said Pallan from his home in Victoria. "I wish her well. That's all."
Pallan was reacting to a report from the Vancouver Sun that Ellard is eight months pregnant following a conjugal visit with her boyfriend, who is also currently behind bars.
Ellard, now 34, was convicted of second-degree murder in 2005 for the 1997 killing, when she smashed Virk's head against a tree and held the Grade 9 girl underwater until she drowned.
The court heard how Virk was swarmed by several girls after trying to join a group of teenagers who had gathered under a Victoria-area bridge to drink and smoke pot. Virk walked away, pleading to be left alone, and was pursued by Ellard and another teen, Warren Glowatski, who was also convicted of second-degree murder.
Ellard was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for seven years.
Virk's father, Manjit Virk, said he doesn't hold out much hope that Ellard will change and has serious concerns about the woman's unborn child, given what he calls Ellard's mental-health issues, anger problems and history of drug abuse.
"Mothers are the first contact and have to be emotionally and mentally healthy to take ... care of that huge responsibility," he said.
"She has proven that she can't even take care of her own life. How would she take care of a newborn one?"
Still, Virk's father said "miracles do happen" and that he wants the best for the child.
"Hopefully with this new life coming she also changes and starts to value life," he said. "I hope she appreciates the role of a mother and sees how valuable life is."
Ellard applied for supervised release in May but was denied after a parole board found she was still minimizing many aspects of her crime.
The Vancouver Sun has identified Ellard's boyfriend as Darwin Dorozan, who was granted parole on Aug. 3 while serving a seven-year sentence for multiple instances of break and enter.
The parole board decision granting Dorozan supervised day release describes his girlfriend as pregnant, though it does not identify her by name. Dorozan has since been arrested for breaching parole and is back in custody.
Federal legislation allows prison inmates private family visits, including conjugal visits, that can last up to 72 hours every two months, provided the offender isn't at risk for family violence or under any disciplinary restrictions.
The law forbids fellow inmates from having private visits with other inmates.
In an email, Correctional Services Canada said the number of offenders who had scheduled at least one private family visit in the past three fiscal years were: 2,097 in 2013-14, 1,938 in 2014-15 and 1,879 in 2015-16.
Data from Statistics Canada show there were 15,168 adult inmates in custody in the federal system on an average day in 2014-15.
Corrections Canada spokeswoman Laura Cummings said the agency doesn't track the number of pregnancies that result from conjugal visits.
Arrangements are made for pregnant inmates to give birth at an outside hospital, after which women may apply to a mother-child residential program in order for the baby to remain with them in prison.
"Cases are assessed on an individual basis," Audrey Jacques, another spokeswoman for Corrections Canada, said in an email.
"The best interests of the child are the pre-eminent consideration in all decisions relating to participation in the mother-child program, including the safety, security and health of the child."
