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Reena's mother recalls girl's last day

A P Kamath

She had said she did not want to testify again in the trial of her daughter's alleged killer but Suman Virk did her duty on Thursday. She took the oath in a British Columbia court and talked about her 14-year-old girl who was beaten up and left to die by her classmates about two-and-a-half years ago.

The sensational case, in which six girls and one boy have been found guilty, is coming to an end, now that 17-year-old Kelly Ellard, who reportedly beat Reena most and held her head under the river, is being tried in Vancouver.

The incident shocked people across North America for it involved schoolchildren as young as 12.

Virk was beaten up because her schoolmates thought she was "weird" and that she disliked them.

For Suman Virk, the ordeal on Thursday did not involve just facing the accused killer but also about having to recall the last days of her estranged daughter.

Reena lived in a foster home, the mother said, because she did not get along with her parents and was not prepared to follow home discipline.

But after she was beaten up, she called home, spoke to her brother, and told him she wanted to spend the night with the family. She never made it.

Her body was found eight days later, washed away by the river.

Prosecutor Ruth Picha told the jury of 12 people that Reena Virk received two sets of beatings from her schoolmates -- seven girls and a boy.

After the first beating was over and she called her home, she was beaten up again, by Warren Glowatski, the only boy in the group, and Ellard.

A friend of Ellard, Shannon Meyer, testified on Thursday that she saw many of her friends, including Ellard, "viciously" beat Virk under a bridge in Victoria.

Meyer said she left the scene after the first beating, unable to stand the sight of a bloodied Reena. Reena would have turned 17 this week.

Ellard, who is charged with second-degree murder, sat still and emotional less in the prisoner's dock. She is living with her mother and stepfather in a heavily monitored curfew.

Her lawyer has denied her guilt. He has told reporters that she was being convicted mainly on the evidence given by Glowatski -- and that his version of the events should not be trusted. Glowatski received a life sentence last year.

Though the murder took place in Victoria, the trial has moved to Vancouver because of the huge pre-trial publicity.

Meyer told the court the assault began with a silly argument and one girl stubbing a cigarette on Reena's forehead.

"Reena tried defending herself and tried punching [the girl],'' said Meyer. ''I saw Kelly grab [Reena] by her hair and punch her in the face several times.

"It made my stomach cringe," Meyer told the six-man, six-woman jury. "It was harsh and pretty hard to watch. I turned and I didn't watch."

Meyer also told the court that before she went to the nearby bus stop, she heard Ellard talking to some other girls. "I heard her bragging that she kicked someone's ass," said Meyer.

EARLIER REPORTS:
Prosecution ready to submit evidence in Virk case
Grandparents attend last trial in Reena Virk's murder

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