Kelly Ellard granted conditional day parole 20 years after murder of Reena Virk

Convicted killer Kelly Ellard has been granted conditional day parole.

She must first complete a residential treatment program for substance abuse before moving to a halfway house.

After six months, the parole board will then review the decision.

Ellard is serving a life sentence for killing 14-year-old Reena Virk near Victoria in 1997.

She was denied parole at a hearing last year despite admitting for the first time she was responsible for Virk’s death.

Ellard was 15-years old when she smashed Virk’s head against a tree and held her underwater until she stopped moving.

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READ MORE: Timeline: Reena Virk murder and the trials of Kelly Ellard

Her case made news last October after a report said she was eight months pregnant following a conjugal visit with her boyfriend.

Further information about her baby has not been released but her baby does live with her at a women’s prison in Abbotsford.

Ellard has had escorted absences from the prison in the past, likely for medical appointments.

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-With files from The Canadian Press