A family pleaded with a judge to have the woman accused of stabbing their child to death to be kept behind bars.
Bionca Ellis, 32, of Cleveland, is said to have stabbed three-year-old Julian Wood and his mother, Margot Woodm as they left the Giant Eagle grocery store in North Olmstead on June 3.
Ellis was seen in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on Monday (June 10) and appeared to be unfazed by the situation.
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Julian’s grieving father, Jared Wood, pleaded for a firm sentence for Ellis and asked Judge Nancy Margaret Russo to 'do everything you can to keep this monster behind bars'.
Most shockingly, Ellis was seen smirking and smiling towards the cameras as her charges were read out.
Ellis was indicted on the charges of one count of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of endangering children, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of misdemeanor theft.
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The prosecution alleges Ellis encountered Julian and his mother as they exited the grocery store.
While allegedly holding a knife she had stolen nearby Volunteers of America Thrift Store, it's said Ellis followed them to their car.
She allegedly stabbed Julian multiple times while he sat in the shopping cart. Ellis allegedly then proceeded to stab at the mother as she tried to get her son out of harms way.
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Police said a few minutes later, Ellis was found walking down a side street with a knife.
The mother is expected to make a full recovery but Julian succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
Speaking in court and fighting back tears, Jared said: “That day, one week ago, she took everything from us.
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“There's nothing that could ever replace my son or anything that my wife and I, even our other kids, are going through.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for the family.
"Our family is overwhelmed with sadness," a statement on the site reads.
“We have no explanation as to how or why this happened, it was a random act of violence. There was no prior altercation, they did not know each other… this was a malicious random act.
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“She has devastated our family beyond words, she took something from us we can never get back.”
Ellis pleaded not guilty to the charges and her bond was set at $5 million. She scheduled to return to court on June 17.
Gerrard Kaonga