In a brightly lit and crowded courtroom on a recent Wednesday, more than 30 witnesses and audience members heard a grim description of the bruises and lacerations to the body of teenager Reena Virk.
An otherwise healthy girl, who showed no signs of drug use, Virk’s body had visible bruising in her upper torso and face, “reminiscent of a major motor vehicle accident,” said the doctor who conducted the autopsy, and it appeared the girl had been in water for a week.
Thus, described, the sad tale of Virk, who was beaten by a swarm of teenagers in 1997, and later drowned, unfolded in Room A100 next to the office at Coquitlam’s Pinetree secondary school.
“It’s important that we remember these things happen and if we don’t remember we are bound to make the same mistakes,” said English teacher Jillian Hopkin, who for several days at her school has been the judge in the mock trial of Kelly Ellard, who in real life was convicted of second degree murder.
Hopkin said the mock trial was a way to bring English 11 and Law 12 students together over a topic of interest, while also encouraging empathy and intolerance of the kind of bullying and violent behavior that led to Virk’s untimely death.
After students expressed an interest in the notorious case after reading Under the Bridge: The True Story of the Murder of Reena Virk by Rebecca Godfrey, Hopkin, fellow English teacher Tanya Dissegna and Law 12 teacher Mario Iacobucci decided to collaborate on the mock trial, with the students in the three classes participating either as witnesses, with characters drawn from the book, or as members of the legal team.
Hopkin also phoned the Virk family to get permission to do the mock trial.
“They were so gracious… it was a really emotional experience. They were so kind and so generous and very wonderful about the whole thing.”
Mario Iacobucci said his law students took the process seriously: “they are going to present the best case they can,” he said, and the outcome will be dependent on how well they do. “It’s not scripted,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the girl who played Kelly Ellard, sat quietly in a make shift prisoner’s dock created with some upturned chairs.
“She’s going to be playing a pretty somber and remorseful character,” he said, admitting that it might be difficult to play the role.
As the mock trial continued, it appeared the students were very engaged, as they listened to the gruesome details of the real life event that rocked British Columbia for many years through three trials, until the final upheld conviction.
Ellard remains in prison in Abbotsford serving a life sentence, but has been granted temporary escorted absences from prison for doctor’s appointments and mom and tot classes to help with the baby she had last fall.
