A suspect accused of stabbing to death a 3-year-old Ohio boy outside a Giant Eagle supermarket last week was caught on video appearing to smile and smirk in court as the judge read the indictment.
The case surrounding Bionca Ellis began Monday in Cuyahoga County District Court, with Jared Wood, the father of slain toddler Julian Wood, pleading with the judge to “do everything you can to keep this monster behind bars.”
“That day a week ago she took everything away from us. Nothing will ever replace my son, what my wife and I and our other children are going through. It’s awful. I really do not want bail. Period,” Wood told the court.
Wood told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he would “not comment” on the case or Ellis’s conduct in court.
Horrifying video emerges of Ohio woman brandishing knife before stabbing toddler to death outside Giant Eagle: police
Bionca Ellis, 32, center right, appears to smile and grin in Cuyahoga County District Court, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP/Corey Schaffer/Cleveland.com)
Ellis, 32, of Cleveland, was ultimately held with bail set at $5 million on charges including murder and child endangerment in connection with the June 3 attack that allegedly targeted Wood and her mother, Margot, in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle in North Olmsted.
Police previously said Ellis got the knife he used in the attack from a thrift store next to Giant Eagle, and released surveillance video that showed Ellis wandering around the shopping center just before the stabbing.
North Olmsted Detective Sergeant Matt Beck told reporters last week that Ellis “walked to Giant Eagle, where he spotted Mrs. Wood and her son, who were seen on camera, and then followed them into the parking lot.”
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Jared Wood, father of 3-year-old Julian Wood, speaks during the hearing for Bionca Ellis on Monday, June 10, 2024, in Cuyahoga County District Court. (AP/Corey Schaffer/Cleveland.com)
“Mrs Ellis then attacked them both near the car,” he added. “We don’t know why she did this. There are some mental health concerns but nothing concrete at this time.”
Body camera footage released by police shows paramedics providing medical treatment to Julian Wood after the stabbing Monday outside a Giant Eagle store in North Olmsted, Ohio. (North Olmsted Police Department)
Julian Wood later died at a local hospital, while Margot Wood, 37, was treated for a stab wound to the shoulder that prosecutors say occurred while Wood was trying to pull a child out of a shopping cart during the assault, The Associated Press reported.
According to the North Olmsted Police Department, the suspect, Bionca Ellis, allegedly obtained a knife from a thrift store before stabbing the 3-year-old outside a Giant Eagle supermarket. (North Olmsted Police Department)
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“This case is truly tragic,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in a statement. “As a father, I cannot imagine the grief this brings, but I am committed to doing all I can to bring justice for Julian Wood and the Wood family.”
