The Ohio woman accused of stabbing three-year-old Julian Wood and his mother as they shopped for groceries was seen smirking in court on Monday as she faced charges for the young boy’s murder.
Bionca Ellis, 32, was seen in the Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas smiling and almost laughing as Judge Nancy Margaret announced that she is charged with murder, aggravated murder, attempted murder, felonious assault, endangering children, tampering with evidence and misdemeanor theft.
She even turned directly towards the camera and grinned, before pleading not guilty to the charges stemming from Wood’s murder at the Giant Eagle grocery store in North Olmstead, Cleveland on June 2.
But just moments later, Wood’s grieving father, Jared Wood, pleaded for the judge to ‘do everything you can to keep this monster behind bars’ and prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty.
Bionca Ellis, 32, was seen smiling as she faced murder charges in the stabbing death of three-year-old Julian Wood on Monday
The young boy was sitting in a grocery cart when Ellis allegedly stabbed him in the face and back
‘That day, one week ago, she took everything from us,’ he said, apparently fighting off tears.
‘There’s nothing that could ever replace my son or anything that my wife and I, even our other kids, are going through.’Â Â
Police say Ellis first encountered Julian and his mother, Margot, 37, as they were exiting the Giant Eagle grocery store and followed them outside to their car — brandishing a knife she had allegedly stolen from a nearby Volunteers of America Thrift Store.
She then allegedly stabbed the toddler in the face and the back as he sat in the shopping cart, then slashed his mother as she tried to pull her child to safety, according to Cleveland 19.
Ellis was found just a few minutes later walking down a nearby side street, still holding a bloodied knife, police said.
Wood’s grieving father, Jared Wood, pleaded for the judge to ‘do everything you can to keep this monster behind bars’
Ellis’ defense attorney suggested in court that she has ‘notable mental health issues’
Meanwhile, the grocery store descended into chaos as paramedics desperately tried to resuscitate the young boy and transported him and his mother to the nearby St John Medical Center.
But Julian’s wounds were too extensive and he did not survive the attack.
His mother, however, is expected to make a full recovery.
It remains unclear why Ellis allegedly attacked the family as they left the grocery store.
Police say Ellis had no previous connection with the Wood family and have called the attack ‘entirely a random act of violence.’Â
‘There’s no indication as to why she committed this. She wouldn’t speak about anything, she lawyered up,’ Detective Sergeant Matthew Beck said.
Ellis was allegedly caught on surveillance footage following Julian and his mother out of the grocery store while brandishing a knife
She initially appeared in court on Monday via video conference with her head down
He noted that there was no recorded history of mental illness, but confessed that after her vicious and unexplained alleged crime, he was not so sure that was accurate.
‘There is some mental health concerns that we have, but nothing concrete at this point,’ he said.
Ellis’ defense attorney also suggested in court on Monday that she has ‘notable mental health issues’ as the suspect initially appeared via video feed with her head down and refused to answer any of the judge’s questions about whether or not she had read the indictment.
Judge Russo then ordered an attorney with the pubic defender’s office to go to the Cuyahoga County Jail and read the indictment to Ellis.
It was about 45 minutes later that Ellis appeared in court and pleaded not guilty.
Russo then set Ellis’ bond at $5 million, and ordered the suspect to return to court next Monday
Julian’s family is raising money for his funeral, legal bills, and his for Margot’s recovery
In the meantime, Julian’s family is raising money for his funeral, legal bills, and his for Margot’s recovery.
‘Our family is overwhelmed with sadness,’ they wrote in a collective statement.
‘We have no explanation as to how or why this happened, it was a random act of violence. There was no prior altercation, they did not know each other… this was a malicious random act.
‘She has devastated our family beyond words, she took something from us we can never get back.’