CLEVELAND (WJW) — The woman accused of stabbing a 3-year-old boy and his mother in a local Giant Eagle parking lot went before a judge to be arraigned Monday morning, but what is typically a quick court proceeding became a more lengthy process as the judge asked the defendant multiple times if she had received her indictment.
At first, Bionca Ellis, 33, appeared for the hearing via video from the Cuyahoga County Jail. She sat silently with her head down.
“Ms. Ellis, why don’t you want to answer these questions?” asked the judge.
An attorney representing Ellis could be heard requesting to enter a not-guilty plea on her behalf and mentioned “notable mental health issues.”
After several delays, Ellis appeared in person before the judge answering questions quietly. Again, when asked about receiving a copy of her indictment and having it read to her by an attorney Ellis said, “I asked her not to.”
Before the judge set bond, the father of 3-year-old Julian Wood that was killed in the attack made a request.
“Just do whatever you can to keep this monster behind bars,” said Jarod Wood. “That day, one week ago, she took everything from us.”
Ellis is accused of taking a knife from a Volunteers of America thrift store in North Olmsted and then walking to a nearby Giant Eagle grocery store.
Security video shows her walking into the store with the knife where she sees Margot Wood, 38, and her 3-year-old son Julian Wood leave the store to take their groceries to their car.
With Julian still in the grocery cart seat Ellis is accused of stabbing the boy in the face and the back. Margot was stabbed once in the attack.
Ellis was arrested quickly after. Police said she still had the knife.
North Olmsted Detective Sgt. Matt Beck said there was no known relationship between the suspect and the victims, calling the stabbing a “random” attack. Once Ellis was taken into custody, she requested a lawyer and did not offer a motive for the stabbing, Beck said.
Last week, a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Ellis on charges that include murder, aggravated murder, attempted murder, felonious assault and endangering children.
Before the indictment, she made a first appearance in Rocky River Municipal Court where her bond was set at $1 million.
On Monday, a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge set bond at $5 million.
Here are the charges she is now facing:
- 2 counts of murder
- 2 counts of attempted murder
- 2 counts of felony assault
- 1 count of endangering children
- 1 count of tampering with evidence
- 1 count of misdemeanor theft
Ellis is due back in court for a pretrial on June 17 at 9 a.m.