Hulu’s series “Under The Bridge” has shocked viewers for more than one reason. While the drama series is an adaption of the book of the same name, it’s based on the true story of Reena Virk and the gruesome events which led to her murder on an Autumn night in 1997, when she was just 14 years old.
There’s a lot to be said about the murder of Reena, but one detail that the “Under The Bridge” series leaves unclear is the whereabouts of Josephine Bell, the mastermind behind the plan that ended up taking Reena’s life on that fateful night.
So what happened to Josephine Bell? Is that her real name? What about the other teens involved in the murder? Are they still in jail, or did they escape the system? What about Reena’s family? Keep with us to learn more!
What Happened To Josephine Bell?
Even if “Under The Bridge” sheds some light on the horrific murder of Reena Virk, the series takes some creative liberties that slightly diverge from the actual events. That said, the character Josephine Bell is based on the real Nicole Cook, who initiated the attack on Reena during an outing under the Craigflower Bridge, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Although it’s known that Josephine wasn’t the one who drowned Reena, she was the admitted ‘ringleader’ of the Shoreline Six, the group of teens who attacked the Indo-Canadian girl that night. According to Vice, Nicole, whose name was changed in the book to Josephine due to her being a minor as their trial unfolded, was seeking revenge on Reena, as the girl had spread rumors about her.
Despite the atrocious role that Nicole, who was 14 years old at the time, played in Reena’s murder on that Friday night in November 1997, she was trialed as a minor and was condemned to a 60-day conditional sentence which could extend to one year in jail for assault. In 2011, Nicole made a public reappearance in the MSNBC show “Bloodlust Under The Bridge”, in which she denied any responsibility for Reena’s murder. Some details about Nicole’s whereabouts have been revealed, such as the fact became an exotic dancer and escaped the youth detention center twice.
Not much is known about Nicole Cook these days, but her role in Reena’s murder has regained attention following the premiere of “Under The Bridge” in April 2017.
More Details About The Case
The gruesome and heartbreaking nature of Reena Virk’s murder has taken the attention of the public and media since it happened. It prompted her parents, Manjit and Suman Virk to start a campaign across the Canadian school system,against bullying while the whole act was considered a ‘national tragedy’ by the country’s media.
Reena’s murder left a painful imprint on Canadian society, not only inspiring several plays and theses to be written about her, but also leading writer Rebecca Godfrey to publish “Under the Bridge” in 2005. The book was based on Rebecca’s investigation of Reena’s case, which took her to British Columbia to attend trials, conduct interviews, and access documents.
“Under The Bridge” was also the piece of media that shed more light on the lives of those involved in Reena’s murder. It was in this book that Nicole Cook was re-named Josephine Bell, who according to Rebecca, had planned the assault of Reena alongside her best friend Kelly Ellard, who was 15 years old at the time.
Prompted by an early mishap when Reena allegedly spread rumors about Nicole, the teen gathered other girls from the Shoreline school district to beat Reena on 14 November 1997. As the book revealed, Nicole started the assault by lighting a cigarette on the South-Asian girl’s forehead, giving the other teens a green light to beat her.
Reena staggered toward home after the beating but was followed by Kelly and Warren Glowatski, a 16-year-old boy who hit the girl on the head. Kelly ultimately confessed to having drowned Reena in the lake.
The Aftermath
After the assault and drowning, Reena Virk was left unconscious and helpless at the lake, while the teens ran away. In the following days, rumors about the murder of a teenage girl spread around View Royal, a town near Craigflower Bridge.
The secret was kept among the teens, some of whom were involved in the assault. As Rebecca Godfrey revealed to Crime Reads, Reena’s disappearance was framed as a runaway, despite her parents reporting it right away. As it happened, authorities thought that Reena had run away from home because she had a history of rebellious attitude towards her parents’ Jehova Witness faith. It was also known that Reena was frequently bullied by her peers and treated as an outsider. She also indulged in marijuana and smoking, as a response to her aspirations of having more freedom away from her parents.
At some point, Reena had become acquainted with Nicole Cook and Kelly Ellard through the foster housing system. It was during that time that she also met the two sisters Anya and Nadja, the two who reported the crime to the police after asking other teens about the events leading to Reena’s murder. Another foster girl named Stephanie also reported the crime ,after being obligated to hide Reena’s clothes by one of the Shoreline Six girls.
In the end, Reena’s body was found 12 days after the murder by bird watchers in a spot near Craigflower Bridge.
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What Happened to The Murderers?
The Shoreline Six, including Nicole Cook, were sentenced to a maximum of a year in a youth detention center. Their names were protected at the trial due to all of them being minors, though their identities were later revealed to be Nicole Patterson, Missy Grace Pleich, Courtney Keith, and Gail Ooms.
Due to the nature of the crime, Kelly Ellard and Warren Glowatski were tried as adults and their names were unprotected by the media. Following Warren’s allegations that Kelly had been the one that drowned Reena Virk, he was sentenced to life in prison. He was eventually granted parole in 2007 and was pardoned by Reena’s parents. It has been revealed that he had no previous acquaintanceship with Reena or the other perpetrators.
Warren’s case was a contrast to Kelly’s – after undergoing three trials, she received a life sentence for murder in 2005. She was granted parole in 2017 after becoming pregnant in prison. In 2021, her parole was suspended and one year later she declared herself unable to return to a normal life.
Her Family
As expected, life wasn’t easy for Reena’s family. Reena’s mother Suman died in 2018 at 58 years old from a choking incident, just one year after expressing her ‘disappointment’ about Kelly Ellard’s granting of.parole
On his part, Reena’s father Manjit published the book “Reena: A Father’s Story” in 2008, as part of what he described as his ‘healing’. Back then, hgrant.e also confessed that it had been a harsh and frustrating process, feeling as if they ‘had lost 11 years of (their) life’ due to the legal system workings.
While the murder of Reena Virk has raised awareness about bullying and violence, the case has left an indelable mark on her family that is most likely unhealable.
