An Ohio woman accused of stabbing a 3-year-old boy to death and attacking his mother laughed and smirked as the horrific charges against her were read aloud in court, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The harrowing incident unfolded in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle grocery store in North Olmsted on Monday. Around 3 PM, authorities said Bionca Ellis, 32, stole two knives from a thrift store next door, walked over to the grocery store, and attacked Julian Wood, 3, and his mother, Margot Wood, 37, with a kitchen knife.
Ellis entered the store and spotted the victims, who she then followed, and "immediately stabbed the 3-year-old, located in the shopping cart, multiple times," Cuyahoga County prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley said in a press release on June 5, "His mother attempted to pull him out and was also stabbed."
“While Margot was opening the trunk of her car to put groceries away the woman viciously attacked and stabbed both Margot and Julian,” the description of a GoFundMe page set up to help the Wood family stated.
Bystanders called police and when they arrived, Ellis was still at the scene with a knife in her hand, authorities said. She was arrested without incident as first responders attempted lifesaving efforts on the victims before rushing them to a hospital.
Julian died from stab wounds to his back and chest, while Margot was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to O'Malley.
"At this time, the attack is believed to be random," the prosecutor said, adding that there was "no information to indicate that Ellis knew the victims or had any prior interaction with them."
Ellis was charged with 10 counts including murder and attempted murder, and appeared in court on Monday for an arraignment. In video of the court proceedings shared by Cleveland 5 News, Ellis could be seen smirking and grinning, at one point staring straight into the camera, as the judge read her the list of charges. When asked whether she planned to plead not guilty, the suspect giggled and answered, "Si," before eventually delivering a "yes."
Ellis had a criminal record of theft charges but no known history of violent crime, the New York Post reported.
Before the judge set bail at the maximum, $5 million, Julian's mourning father addressed the court.
"Your honor, the day, one week ago, she took everything from us," Jared Wood said. "There is nothing that could ever replace my son or anything that my wife or I or even my other kids are going through. It's horrendous."
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"Do whatever you can to keep this monster behind bars," he added.
The judge indicated that Ellis could potentially face the death penalty if convicted.
"She has devastated our family beyond words…she took something from us we can never get back," loved ones wrote in the GoFundMe.