A woman accused of stabbing a 3-year-old boy to death outside a Giant Eagle supermarket in Ohio was reportedly released from custody by a judge just days before the incident, despite being recommended for a mental evaluation.
The development comes after Bionca Ellis told Cleveland police she killed a woman in California, but investigators in Bakersfield found her statement to be unreliable. According to Fox 8.
“There were no red flags on that post. There were no signs. There were no signs of mental distress. There were no signs of past violent behavior,” Judge Brian Hagan of Rocky River told the station about his decision to release Ellis three days before he allegedly killed toddler Julian Wood in North Olmsted, near Cleveland.
Days before the stabbing, Ellis had been in police custody for a probation violation related to a 2023 arrest for petty theft at a Walmart store, Fox 8 reported. A Rocky River Municipal Court magistrate recommended she undergo a mental health evaluation following her behavior in court, but Judge Brian Hagan told Fox 8 that the organization did not have anyone available to do the evaluation and Ellis would have had to remain in jail for days on the misdemeanor.
Ohio suspect accused of killing toddler outside Giant Eagle smirks in court as his father looks on
Bionca Ellis, 32, center right, appeared in Cuyahoga County District Court on Monday, June 10. (AP/Corey Schaffer/Cleveland.com)
“I’m confident in the way this court handled this case,” he said. “We did it according to the letter of the law. There was nothing there that would have raised alarm bells.”
During the court hearing in Rocky River, the judge wondered aloud whether Ellis had fallen asleep.
“Mr. Ellis, can you hear me? North Olmsted, can you tell me if she’s asleep or what’s going on?,” he reportedly said in audio obtained by Fox 8. “Mr. Ellis, can you please notice me?”
“I believe a mental health evaluation is necessary. I will remand her in custody for evaluation,” the judge concluded. “I am not sure she fully comprehends the simple requirements that the court has imposed on her.”
Police say Ellis then stabbed Wood to death and injured Wood’s mother, Margot, on June 3.
An Ohio woman was captured on terrifying video brandishing a knife before stabbing a toddler to death outside a Giant Eagle, police said.
Bionca Ellis, 32, center right, appears to be smiling and grinning in Cuyahoga County District Court on Monday, June 10, in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP/Corey Schaffer/Cleveland.com)
There have also been reports that Ellis has had previous run-ins with the law.
According to Fox 8, an arrest warrant was issued for Ellis in February in Kern County, California, on three counts of assault.
But she returned to Ohio that month, and on Feb. 24, staff at the women’s shelter where she was staying called Cleveland police to say Ellis wanted to confess to the murders in California, the station added.
“Bionca then explained that she had killed someone in Bakersfield, California, within the past few months,” Fox 8 reported, citing the police report. “She described the victim as a white female, approximately 5’6″, weighing 150 pounds and either a bartender or working in a bar.”
However, a Bakersfield Police Department spokesperson told KGET, “This information does not match any ongoing investigations and at this time Mr. Ellis is not a suspect or being investigated for any crimes.”
Ohio woman suspected of stabbing 3-year-old boy to death in ‘random’ attack in parking lot
Jared Wood, father of 3-year-old Julian Wood, spoke during Bionca Ellis’ hearing on Monday, June 10, in Cuyahoga County District Court. (AP/Corey Schaffer/Cleveland.com)
Ellis told Cleveland police he “wanted to kill someone” and was taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, where he “became extremely agitated and agitated and began fighting with medical staff and officers.” Fox 8 reports. Citing police records.
In March, she was reportedly arrested near Orlando, Florida, on suspicion of trespassing after refusing to leave a hotel room.
Yolanda Eggleton, who Fox 8 identified as Ellis’ mother, said she believes Ellis was “hallucinating” at the time of the stabbing in the Giant Eagle parking lot.
“Bionca had been on a number of medications but none of them worked. She was suffering from visual and auditory hallucinations,” Eggleton said.
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)
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“My condolences go out to this family,” Eggleton added. “I was devastated when I found out about this. I’m still devastated. A child should never lose their life. She was around my grandchildren. One of my grandchildren could have died.”
