CLEVELAND (Court TV/Scripps News Cleveland) — An Ohio woman has been found guilty of murdering a 3-year-old boy outside a grocery store and stabbing his mother in a random attack.
Bionca Ellis appears in court during her murder trial on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Court TV)
Bionca Ellis was convicted of 10 felony charges, including murder and attempted murder, in the June 2024 death of Julian Wood. She had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Judge John Russo sentenced Ellis to life in prison without the possibility of parole at her sentencing on Oct. 27, 2025.
According to authorities, Ellis stole two knives from a Volunteers of America store and then walked next door to a Giant Eagle grocery store in North Olmsted, where she spotted Margot Wood pushing her son, Julian, in a cart.
Investigators say Margot was returning to her car when Ellis ran at them with a knife and stabbed the child. When Margot tried to pull Julian to safety, Ellis stabbed her as well. Margot was injured but survived the attack. Authorities have said they believe the mother and son were randomly targeted.
In Sept. 2024, a judge ruled Ellis was incompetent to stand trial after her attorneys pointed to her strange behavior in court and said her mental state made her unable to participate in her defense. She was deemed competent after five months of treatment.
DAILY TRIAL UPDATES
DAY 7 – 10/15/25
- The jury reached a verdict after more than eight hours of deliberations.
- Judge John Russo set Ellis’ sentencing date for October 27. Ellis faces life in prison.
DAY 6 – 10/14/25
- Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Noffsinger returned to the stand, and more clips of his three-hour interview with Ellis were played for the jury.
- Ellis had been restored to competency at the time of the interview, which occurred about one year after the stabbing. Ellis was on medication at the time of the interview, but was unmedicated at the time of the attack.
- Ellis’ reported delusions date back to her childhood, with medical issues dating to age five.
- Dr. Noffsinger said he believes that Ellis suffered from schizophrenia at the time of the stabbing but did not suffer from a mental defect or dementia, and that she did not meet the legal test for insanity.
- Ellis told the doctor that she acted out of rage and that she “blanked out,” she said she went to Giant Eagle because they had lobsters.
- Ellis reported hearing voices telling her to kill herself; she said she didn’t plan to “throw her life away” and had plans to move to Florida to work at Disney World.
- Dr. Noffsinger noted inconsistencies between Ellis’ statements and objective video evidence, and said he belives that rage motivated the offense.
- The state and defense both rested.
- The judge instructed the jury.
- The prosecution delivered closing arguments.
- The state argued that video showed Ellis spending 50 seconds selecting knives, examining several before choosing her weapon.
- The attack was characterized as personal and gruesome, as prosecutors recounted the injuries to Julian and Margot Wood.
- Prosecutors acknowledged that Ellis has a mental illness, but argued she knew right from wrong and said Ellis’ actions suggested organization, not disorganization. They emphasized that she was angry, not delusional.
- WATCH: State: ‘Hold [Bionca Ellis] Accountable For What She Did To That Child’
- In their closing argument, Ellis’ defense acknowledged that she committed the crime but argued that she was mentally ill.
- The defense asked the jury to consider their humanity while upholding their oath.
- Ellis showed abnormal behavior, smiling at her arraignment despite facing a potential death sentence; a comparison shows that Ellis appears like “two different people” when she is medicated vs. unmedicated.
- Ellis made no attempt to conceal the knives and walked past several people without attacking anyone. After the attack, she walked away calmly as if nothing had happened; her asking about money after her arrest shows her disconnect from reality.
- WATCH: Bionca Ellis’ Defense Emphasizes Insanity Defense During Closing Argument
- In their rebuttal closing argument, prosecutors emphasized the seriousness of the case and urged jurors to use their common sense.
- Prosecutors argued that Ellis knew what she was doing and pointed to the video evidence, comparing her behavior to hunting.
- WATCH: Toddler Stabbed Murder Trial: Prosecution Rebuttal
- The jury began deliberations.
DAY 5 – 10/10/25
- Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Sara West performed the initial evaluation on Ellis in July 2024 and found her severely mentally ill and incompetent to stand trial.
- WATCH: Psychiatrist: Ellis Had Severe Mental Illness During Fatal Stabbing
- Ellis was disorganized in thoughts and unable to engage in meaningful conversations about the legal proceedings, and she could not assist in her own legal defense.
- Ellis was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
- Ellis previously tried to turn herself in for a murder in Bakersfield, California, that police could not verify.
- The first reported mental health issues were in her early 20s; she was hospitalized 13 times in multiple locations. She has a history of hearing voices, including some telling her to jump off buildings.
- In February 2024, she was admitted to a hospital where she made bizarre statements about purity, dinosaurs, NASA and espionage.
- She was given anti-psychotic medication and by February 2025 showed significant improvement and was deemed competent. She was able to engage in conversation and assist in her legal defense.
- Ellis could provide no logical reason for harming Julian and Margot Wood; she said she “blacked out” and didn’t know how to save herself. She said she went to Giant Eagle thinking she could calm herself at the lobster tank, and voices were telling her to kill someone or herself.
- Ellis told the doctor that she drank Pink Whitney liquor before the incident, and her mind went blank and she had no control.
- She said she only realized what happened when she was in jail, and then she cried and felt sorry.
- Dr. West said she believes Ellis did not know her actions were wrong at the time and that her actions were driven by mental health symptoms, not rational thought.
- Dr. West conceded that mental illness does not automatically equate to insanity.
- The defense rested its case.
- The prosecution called Dr. Stephen Noffsinger, a forensic psychiatrist who conducted a videotaped interview with Ellis as part of an insanity evaluation, as a rebuttal witness.
- Dr. Noffsinger said there’s no question that Ellis suffers from schizophrenia, but said that she did not have a mental disease or defect that prevented her from knowing right from wrong at the time of the offense.
- In a videotaped interview, Ellis acknowledged knowing that it is wrong to stab people; she described losing control and called it a “life or death situation.” She mentioned hearing voices and having visions, including a “lady in black.”
- Ellis said she has a “bad brain” and lost control, but acknowledged that wasn’t an excuse.
- While Ellis admitted to stabbing the victims, she said it wasn’t on purpose.
- WATCH: Psychiatrist: Bionca Ellis ‘Felt Rage’ When She Stabbed Julian Wood
DAY 4 – 10/9/25
- North Olmsted Police Det. Sean Ventrice served as the lead detective on the case.
- When he responded to the scene, he saw Ellis already on the ground and the murder weapon in a rockbed near the curb.
- In the parking lot of the Giant Eagle, Ventrice saw Julian lying lifeless in a lot of blood. He described the scene as “chaos,” with people unsure of what to do.
- Crime scene photographs included drone aerial shots and a close-up of the murder weapon, which was a grey knife with a black handle, covered in blood and with a Volunteer of America sticker.
- Julian’s wounds included a cut to his cheek that severed his tongue and a back wound that sliced his lung.
- Collected surveillance video from Volunteer of America, Things Outlet, Giant Eagle and the police department.
- Ellis walked openly with the knives at all times and never concealed them. After the attack, she still had the knife in her hand until she was ordered to drop it by the police.
- Ventrice confirmed that Ellis had documented mental health issues and was a patient at a facility before. She had a history of issues complying with her medication schedule.
- She had no prior felony convictions, but had been in jail until May for a theft offense. She had been on probation with a court-ordered mental health evaluation.
- Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Mooney testified to her autopsy on Julian.
- Two primary stab wounds, to the face and the back, were identified as the cause of death. The stab to the face went through the mandible, hit the carotid artery and went behind the airway and through the oral cavity, causing blood to enter the airway. The stab wound to his back punctured his left lung.
- Both wounds were approximately four inches deep.
- The state rested its case.
- The defense made a motion of acquittal.
- The judge denied the motion on the murder charges but granted the judgment of acquittal on the charge of tampering with evidence.
- Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Megan Testa testified for the defense after she was ordered by the court to talk to Ellis as part of a 20-day competency evaluation.
- Ellis had been a patient at Mortis Taylor Health Facility since February 2023.
- Her first hospitalization was in November 2015, when her mother admitted her for not taking medication, suicidal ideation and delusions about being raped and impregnated. She was hospitalized three times between 2015 and 2021 for being off medication.
- In February 2024, she was “pink-slipped” for a mental illness disorder after calling asking to be arrested for a murder conspiracy. During the incident, she was hallucinating and talking about the murder of El Chapo and the mafia.
- Ellis saw a psychiatrist in jail on June 6, giving limited answers and displaying a curt manner. She refused medication, saying it was unnecessary. She was found sitting in her jail cell naked, eating food with her hands and talking about dinosaurs.
- Ellis was diagnosed with schizophrenia with a long history of delusions and disorganized thinking. She expressed having 23 children when she was in kindergarten, believed this to be true and cried about not finding them.
- There is clear evidence of improvement when Ellis is on medication. Without medication, the symptoms are likely to return. Even with medication, relapses can occur.
- In Sept. 2024, she appeared in psychosis. She could not name her charges, seemed blasé about her arrest and smiled and laughed inappropriately.
- Dr. Testa was unable to opine on Ellis’ sanity at the time of the incident, only her competency.
DAY 3 – 10/8/25
- Travis Bush, eyewitness at the Giant Eagle
- Bush said he noticed Margot Wood pushing her son, Julian, in a shopping cart. He noticed that Julian was smiling.
- Bush then saw a female dressed in all black walking approximately five feet behind the mother and child, though he did not initially see a knife.
- When the vehicle’s trunk opened, Bush said he saw Ellis raise her arm, revealing a knife. He described the knife as a hunting knife, approximately one foot long.
- Bush said he saw Ellis stab Julian repeatedly; then Margot grabbed her son and was stabbed as well.
- Ellis walked away at a pace “faster than normal” but not running. Bush said he followed her through the parking lot and confronted her. When confronted, Ellis allegedly shrugged her shoulders and mouthed the word, “so.”
- On cross-examination, Bush conceded that some details of his testimony were missing from his initial police statement.Travis Bush was working as a DoorDash driver on his last delivery of the day at Giant Eagle when he saw the attack.
- WATCH: Eyewitness to Stabbing: ‘I’ll Never Get [the Screaming] Out of My Head’
- Margot Wood, Victim and mother of victim Julian
- Woods is the mother of three children; Julian was the middle child.
- MORE: Margot Wood breaks down recounting attack that killed son Julian
- On the day of the incident, Margot had planned to go shopping with her mother, Julian and her younger daughter, but the baby fell asleep and stayed home with Margot’s mother.
- Julian helped his mother pick out flowers inside the store, Margot said she did not notice anything strange or unusual while shopping.
- When she opened the trunk of her car, she turned and saw Bionca Ellis approaching with a knife in her hand.
- Margot tried to push Julian back to protect him, causing Ellis to stab the back/trunk of the car first.
- Margot pushed the cart over in fear; then Ellis came at Margot and stabbed Julian in the side of his face, then in the back.
- Julian began to cry after he was stabbed in the back; Margot grabbed him out of the cart and saw blood. When she asked her son if he was ok, blood came out of the side of his mouth.
- Margot was stabbed in the top of her shoulder and received four stitches; she has a permanent scar.
- The Wood family had no prior interaction or connection to the defendant.Margot Woods, Julian’s mother, took the stand and offered emotional testimony, pausing frequently to cry.
- WATCH: ‘She Stabbed Him In The Back’: Julian Woods’ Mother Tearfully Describes Attack
- North Olmsted Police Sgt. Nick Gorbulja was working when he received a call with information about a suspect’s clothing and direction. When he arrived on scene, he said he saw Ellis drop a knife as he was driving up.
- Ellis obeyed commands during her arrest.
- No notable behavior was observed during transport to jail, which took 30-60 seconds.
- North Olmsted Officer Joann Felton was called to assist in processing Ellis at the jail.
- Felton described Ellis as “very angry” when turning her back.
- While the interaction was captured on video, Felton conceded that Ellis did not appear angry on the video. Felton said there was no verbal expression of anger, but that the anger was demonstrated through body language and non-compliance.
- Ellis physically resisted during the clothing removal process.
- Shayna Gray, an evidence analyst, testified to examining multiple pieces of evidence in the case, including swabs from under fingernails, two knives and clothing from both victims.
- Two gray metal knives were examined; no blood was observed on either knife handle or blade.
- Julian’s blue t-shirt and black sweatshirt tested positive for blood; his white tank top showed defects consistent with sharp instrument damage.
- WATCH: Toddler Stabbed Murder Trial: Jury Sees Knives, Bloody Clothes
- DNA Analyst Melissa Esterline testified to a DNA report she created after testing multiple items.
- A mixture of DNA was found on the swabs of hands and knuckles.
- Julian’s DNA was found on the gray knife blade.
- Staining on Ellis’ black sweatshirt was a mixture of her DNA and Julian’s.
- WATCH: Toddler Stabbed Murder Trial: Day 3 Recap
DAY 2 – 10/7/25
- LIVESTREAM: OH v. Bionca Ellis, Day 2 | Toddler Stabbed Murder Trial
- Officer Danielle Shook was working at the records desk in the North Olmstead Police Department in June 2024 when Bionca Ellis came into the police station with a wheelchair and suitcase. She asked about retrieving her property after being arrested and said she needed money.
- When Ellis was told her property wasn’t there, she became irritated.
- As she became irritated, she shifted her weight and rolled her eyes. As she left, Shook said that Ellis deliberately turned off the lobby light, which was unusual.
- Ellis left her wheelchair and suitcase in the lobby.
- When Shook heard about the stabbing from dispatch, she recognized the description of Ellis from her earlier interaction in the lobby.
- Ellis was brought back to the police department and placed in the booking cage.
- Shook performed welfare checks on Ellis every 20 minutes; during those checks, Ellis was asleep and Shook did not wake her.
- Diane Speaher, a store manager at Volunteer of America, took the stand.
- Speaher was working at the store on June 3 in the production department, pricing clothing, when she saw Ellis walk in.
- She followed Ellis in the store and asked if she could help. Ellis initially ignored Speaher, then told her that she was looking for the bathroom.
- Ellis was carrying a knife with a tag indicating it was the store’s merchandise; Speaher described Ellis as appearing angry and distraught while clutching the knife.
- Ellis never paid for the knife; Speaher only learned it was missing when police later came to the store.
- Eyewitness Jonathan Rastou was at the Giant Eagle grocery store when he heard a commotion and screaming.
- Rastou saw Ellis walking away from the scene nonchalantly, “with no care in the world.”
- While Rastou saw hands moving behind an SUV, he never saw anyone physically get hurt.
- North Olmsted Police Detective Manuel Roman was working a traffic detail when he was called to the Giant Eagle grocery store. He collected surveillance video from Volunteer of America, Things Outlet and Giant Eagle.
- WATCH: Bionca Ellis Seen on Store Surveillance Video Prior to Fatal Stabbing
- Surveillance video shows Ellis selecting knives and leaving Volunteer of America without paying. She initally took two knives and went to Things Outlet.
- After arriving at Things Outlet, video shows Ellis dropping one knife while tapping them on a pillar outside.
- WATCH: Toddler Stabbed Murder Trial: Bodycam Footage From Responding Officers
- WATCH: Bodycam Video of Bionca Ellis Arrest a Week Before Fatal Toddler Stabbing
- Matthew Stroud testified as an eyewitness to the attack at Giant Eagle.
- Stroud said he heard screaming while he was returning his shopping cart and saw a woman stabbing a mother and child.
- He observed the knife, covered in blood, and stabbing motions directed towards the child.
- Stroud told his wife to call 911 and followed the suspect until police detained her. He said that she walked away casually, “like she was in a park,” and was swinging the knife while walking.
- When police arrived with guns drawn, she dropped the knife without fighting, before getting on her knees and complying with officers’ commands.
- Giant Eagle employee Griffin Schopf was on a break with his girlfriend, eating in her vehicle, at the time of the stabbing.
- Schopf opened the door of the Jeep and got out, running towards screaming. He saw a woman on the ground holding a child covered in blood and another woman standing over them holding a knife.
- Schopf and his girlfriend began following the suspect and called 911.
- Schopf described Ellis as smiling.
- Sheryl Milansky, a registered nurse, was at the scene shopping and ran to help.
- She immediately assessed the child’s condition and found his airway/mouth was full of blood and she could not feel a pulse.
- Raachel Craven, a registered nurse, was pulling into the parking lot of the grocery store when she heard screams.
- Craven saw a crowd running in different directions and a woman performing CPR on the child.
- Craven helped to provide chest compressions to the child.
- Karin Kollar was shopping at Giant Eagle on the day of the stabbing.
- She said she heard someone scream that there was a stabbing as she finished loading groceries into her car.
- Kollar described seeing Ellis carrying a knife with fresh blood on it.
- Kollar became emotional when shown the knife from the stabbing.
- North Olmsted Police Sgt. Luke Petrie was preparing to help with school guard duty when he received a radio call about a stabbing with a subject still at large.
- Petrie was the first officer to arrive on scene and found the child dead. His bodyworn camera was charging, so no video exists from his perspective.
- He arrived to find the child appearing deceased and a nurse performing CPR. He rolled the child over and located a major injury on his back, as well as injuries to his back, shoulder and face.
- Petrie had previously worked as a crime scene technician, and so looked for evidence at the scene and took photos of evidence and clothing. Photos included the interior and exterior of the Giant Eagle, the crime scene in the parking lot, trauma equipment, groceries purchased, the victim’s mother’s vehicle, the victim’s shoe and blanket and the suspect’s path of travel.
- North Olmsted Police officer Oliver Wilcott was working as a patrol opfficer when he received a description of a suspect in the stabbing.
- The suspect was described as a Black female wearing all black and carrying a knife.
- Upon spotting the suspect, he exited the vehicle and saw her holding a knife. He gave her commands to get on the ground; Ellis complied without asking questions.
DAY 1 – 10/6/25
- State’s opening statement delivered by prosecutor Anna Faraglia:
- WATCH: Toddler Stabbed Murder Trial: Prosecution Opening Statement
- Margot Woods and her son Julian Woods were having an ordinary day shopping at Giant Eagle grocery store
- Bionca Ellis had visited a police department that day, didn’t like the conversation with the officer, and left
- Ellis went directly to Volunteers of America after leaving police station
- Ellis spent several minutes “sifting through knives” at Volunteers of America before selecting weapons
- Took two knives and tested them by hitting against concrete pillars “to check the pliability”
- Video evidence will show Ellis entering Giant Eagle store without chatting with anyone
- Ellis observed Woods and Julian shopping inside the store
- When Woods paid for groceries and walked toward exit with child in cart, Ellis “turns immediately around and follows them”
- Ellis “stops and waits for them to catch up and follows them completely out of the store”
- Ellis approached and “stabs Julian in the face” with 12-inch butcher knife
- When Woods tried to fight Ellis off, Ellis stabbed Woods
- Ellis then “took the knife and stabbed Julian in the back”
- Witnesses screamed to call police; nurse Cheryl Malaski will testify about Woods holding bleeding child
- Ellis “takes her knife, covered in red blood, and walks away nonchalantly”
- When police asked her to stop, Ellis threw the knife and was arrested
- DNA and trace evidence matches Ellis
- Medical examiner will testify on cause and manner of death
- Charges against Ellis: Aggravated murder, murder, child endangering, felonious assault
- Defense’s opening statement delivered by attorney Fernando Mack:
- WATCH: Toddler Stabbed Murder Trial: Defense Opening Statement
- Bionca Ellis is 34 years old with no criminal record
- Diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child
- Mother will testify about Ellis’s need for medication and that “when she is off the medication, she is two different people”
- Mother lost contact with Ellis for 6-8 months before the incident
- Ellis was off her medication during this period
- Traveled extensively from Ohio to California, back to Ohio, then to Florida and back to Ohio
- Lived on the streets during travels while trying to find help
- Exhibited erratic behavior on the day of the crime
- Ellis was charged with theft-related offense at Walmart and released
- Returned to police department in wheelchair with suitcase asking about belongings
- Left wheelchair and luggage at police station and walked away
- Left Volunteers of America with two knives; no one stopped her or called police
- Ellis had knives in her hand “at all times” and “never tried to conceal them”
- Followed Woods and child with no rational motive for the offense
- After committing the act, “does not run away. She walks away”
- Still had knife in hand when police confronted her
- Police interview showed evidence of mental illness
- At jail, Ellis was “sitting naked on the floor and displayed mental illness”
- At arraignment, “she was mentally ill and smiling and answering the judge in Spanish”
- Defense had difficulty communicating with her
- A doctor who conducted an evaluation “made a determination that she was insane at the time of the event”
- Ellis acknowledges that she murdered Julian and attempted to kill Margot
- Case is not about whether she committed the acts, but “whether she was insane at the time”
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