Bail set at $5M for woman accused of fatally stabbing 3-year-old outside an Ohio supermarket
CLEVELAND — Bail was set Monday at $5 million for a woman, authorities said fatally stabbed a 3-year-old boy last week when he sat in a grocery cart outside an Ohio supermarket and injured his mother.
The ruling by Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy Margaret Russo concluded a hearing for Bionca Ellis, 32, of Cleveland, that took three tries and nearly an hour. Cleveland.com reports this.
Authorities have said Ellis was at the Giant Eagle supermarket in the Cleveland suburb of North Olmsted on June 3 when she saw Julian Wood and his mother, Margot Wood, out the front and followed them into the parking lot.
The mother was about to load her groceries into her car when Ellis ran toward them with a knife and stabbed the boy twice, in an attack that lasted less than five seconds before Ellis walked away. The boy died at a hospital while Margot Wood was treated at a hospital for a stab wound to her shoulder — a wound prosecutors say she suffered when she tried to pull the boy from the cart during the attack.
Authorities have not provided any motivation for the attack, which they say was a random incident. Ellis is represented by the public defender’s office, which typically does not comment on cases.
On Monday, Ellis initially appeared via video from the county jail, but stared at the ground as Russo asked if she had a copy of the indictment charging her with aggravated murder and other related charges. Ellis first told the judge, “I don’t know,” and then stopped answering, despite multiple requests from the judge. Russo then asked Ellis why she didn’t answer, and Ellis was silent again.
The judge then moved on to other arraignments, but called Ellis again a few minutes later and asked her again if she had the charges. Ellis again said she did not know and an assistant attorney general, whose office had represented Ellis in an unrelated case, told Russo that Ellis had mental health issues and was trying to waive Ellis’ right to review the charges before he was indicted.
Russo declined, saying it was not appropriate because prosecutors could seek the death penalty. She then ordered Ellis to appear in court and let the public defender’s office review the charges with her.
In court, Ellis said she asked Assistant Cuyahoga County District Attorney Linda Hricko not to read her indictment. When Russo asked if Hricko did, Ellis whispered no, but Hricko nodded yes. The judge then read aloud all ten counts of the indictment, and Ellis appeared to smile.
During Monday’s hearing, as Ellis stood just a few feet away from him with her back turned, Julian’s father told the judge he did not want Ellis to be released on bail.
“There is nothing that could ever replace my son, or whatever my wife, I and our other children are going through. It’s terrible,” said Jared Wood, struggling to keep his composure. “Just do what you can to keep this monster behind bars.”