Day parole has been denied for Kelly Ellard, who was convicted in the beating and drowning of 14-year-old Reena Virk near a Victoria bridge nearly two decades ago.

The hearing, before a two-person panel, took place at the Fraser Valley Institution in Abbotsford, B.C., where Ellard is serving a life sentence.

Parole board regional spokesman Patrick Storey said the board was not convinced the 33-year-old was ready to be released into the community yet.

"She still seems to be minimizing many aspects of the offence," Storey said. "We want to see more evidence."

'If it wasn't for her, Reena might not have died'

Ellard was 15 in November 1997, when she smashed Virk's head into a tree and held her under water until she stopped moving.

Parole board members were tasked with trying to determine if Ellard is at risk of reoffending or poses a threat to the community.

The parole board hearing marks the first time Ellard has admitted to having a role in Virk's death.

Storey said Ellard told the board that "if it wasn't for her, Reena might not have died that night."

Although Ellard has taken steps to taking more responsibility for the crime than she has in the past, Storey said, the parole board was not convinced the positive changes she has made behind bars will be lasting.

He said many of the breakthroughs in her behaviour have only happened in the last year.

"People who do terrible things sometimes approach the truth reluctantly," he said.

"Maybe that's what we saw today: she's approaching the truth, but at least in the parole board's eyes, didn't get close enough to it."

Ellard has previously waived her right to a full parole hearing four times while serving her life sentence.

Teens beat Reena Virk

The murder happened late in the evening after Virk joined a group of teens gathered outside a local school to drink and smoke pot.

The girls assaulted Virk, who then crossed a bridge, pleading to be left alone.

Reena Virk's body was found eight days after she was swarmed and beaten by a group of teenagers on Nov. 14, 1997. (CBC)

Successive trials heard that Ellard and another teen, Warren Glowatski, followed Virk across the bridge.

Glowatski, who was also found guilty of second-degree murder in Virk's death, was granted day parole in 2007 and full parole in 2010.

Ellard was convicted in 2005 after her third trial. She was found guilty during her first trial in 2000, but the verdict was overturned and a new trial ordered when the B.C. Court of Appeal determined the Crown had improperly cross-examined her.

No healing for parents

Virk's parents did not attend the hearing. Her grandfather, Mukand Pallan, said they left town to avoid the media attention.

​Ellard had run into other trouble since Virk's death. Her bail was revoked in 2004 while she was living in a halfway house awaiting trial. She was charged with assault causing bodily harm of an older woman in a New Westminster park.

The charges were stayed after she was found guilty in the Virk trial.