Video: Woman Accused of Stabbing Toddler to Death in Ohio Grocery Store Parking Lot Smiles During Court Appearance

A woman accused of stabbing a 3-year-old boy to death in an Ohio grocery store parking lot and injuring his mother appeared to smile in court on Monday as a judge read the indictment against her.

Bionca Ellis, 32, is accused of stealing two knives from the North Olmsted Volunteers of America Thrift Store before walking to the Giant Eagle grocery store next door in Cleveland, following 37-year-old Margot Wood and her son, Julian, and stabbing both of them in the parking lot on June 3. Ellis allegedly stabbed Julian twice while he was still in the shopping cart and stabbed his mother in the shoulder as she tried to pull him out of the cart, according to prosecutors. 

North Olmsted police arrived on scene and gave first aid to both the mother and son before they were transported to St. John Medical Center, according to local media reports. Julian died in the hospital from his injuries. Det. Sgt. Matthew Beck said during press conference that the attack appeared to be an “entirely random act of violence.” Beck added that Ellis and the mother and son had no previous interactions and no interaction inside the store.

On Monday, an arraignment hearing for Ellis “took three attempts and nearly an hour to complete,” Cleveland.com reported. Ellis first appeared on video from the county jail and proceeded to stare at the floor as Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy Margaret Russo asked if she had the indictment charging her with aggravated murder and several other counts.

“Ellis first told the judge ‘I don’t know,’ then stopped answering despite multiple requests by the judge. Russo then asked Ellis why she wasn’t answering, and Ellis again remained silent,” ABC News reported.

Russo called again a few minutes later and again asked Ellis if she had the indictment. Again, Ellis claimed she did not know, and an assistant public defender told the judge that Ellis has mental health issues and attempted to waive Ellis’ right to review the indictment before being arraigned.

Russo declined, pointing out that Ellis could not forego hearing the indictment because prosecutors could seek the death penalty, according to the report. Russo then ordered Ellis to appear in court in person to review the indictment.

“In the courtroom, Ellis said she asked assistant Cuyahoga County Public Defender Linda Hricko not to read her indictment. When Russo asked if Hricko did, Ellis whispered no but Hricko nodded her head yes. The judge then read all ten counts of the indictment aloud, and Ellis appeared to smile,” according to the report.

Russo ultimately increased Ellis’ bail amount from $1 million to $5 million, after a testimony from the boy’s father asking the judge to keep her locked away.

“There’s nothing that could ever replace my son, or anything my wife and I and our other kids are going through. It’s horrendous,” Jared Wood said, as Ellis kept her back turned to him. “Just do whatever you can to keep this monster behind bars.”