‘Under the Bridge’ Reaches the Conclusion of Its Tragic True Crime Case
Under the Bridge season 1 recently concluded on Hulu. After weeks of building up its central mystery, viewers will be curious to learn the truth about the perpetrators in the case of Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta).
Based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Godfrey, the series dramatizes the true crime case of Virk’s death. It follows Godfrey’s (Riley Keough) research into the case, which is investigated by Detective Cam Bentland (Lily Gladstone). Together, the two women probe the disappearance of Virk, a teenager who went missing after attending a party one night. It isn’t long before the situation turns from a missing persons case into a murder investigation. Things take an even darker turn when Godfrey and Bentland hone in on the primary suspects and realize they are also children.
Even though many viewers know the outcome of the series since it’s based on a real-life case, Under the Bridge attempts to keep an aura of mystery. Instead of immediately revealing the killer, it allows viewers to become absorbed in the investigation and the complicated web of lies and half-truths as Godfrey and Bentland try to make sense of the horrific crime. Here’s what Godfrey and Bentland ultimately find.
Who killed Reena Virk?
From the onset, the prime suspects in Virk’s case in Under the Bridge are a group of rebellious and troubled teenage girls who dub themselves the Crip Mafia Cartel (CMC). Although the CMC is found guilty of assaulting Virk, video footage proves that the group left her alive. However, Godfrey and Bentland struggle to determine who went back to murder the young girl.
Initially, Josephine Bell (Chloe Guidry) arises as the primary suspect as she confesses to her friends that she killed Virk. The only problem is that she made it home in time for curfew, at which point Virk was still believed to be alive, giving her a solid alibi. Soon, her story changed to her being the one who planned the murder instead of the one who carried it out. Bell soon joins Dusty Pace (Aiyana Goodfellow) and Kelly Ellard (Izzy G) in claiming that they witnessed the sole boy present in the assault, Warren Glowatski (Javon Walton), kill Virk. According to Glowatski, though, he saw Ellard murder Virk.
Ultimately, Ellard and Glowatski arise as the main suspects, with much of the CMC, except for Josephine, testifying against Ellard, who continues to proclaim her innocence and blame Glowatski. The truth finally comes out after Glowatski has a change of heart upon meeting with Virk’s mother, Suman Virk (Archie Panjabi), who shockingly chooses to forgive him. During his testimony, the boy reveals that both he and Ellard went back to assault Virk a second time, after which he watched as Ellard rolled her unconscious body into the river. Ellard continues to maintain her innocence, but both she and Glowatski are found guilty of the murder of Virk.
The outcome depicted in the show aligns with what happened in real life. Virk’s case ultimately found six teenagers guilty of assault, while Glowatski and Ellard were convicted of second-degree murder. Ellard refused to confess to her role in the case, while Glowatski opted to tell the truth of his own accord. It was only after his conviction that he met with Virk’s mother, who offered him forgiveness and supported his release on parole.
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