NEW: Ohio Woman Who Fatally Stabbed 3-Year-Old Boy in Grocery Store Parking Lot Sentenced to Life in Prison without Parole

Ohio Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Fatal Stabbing of Toddler in Grocery Store Parking Lot

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Cleveland woman has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after fatally stabbing a 3-year-old boy and injuring his mother in a grocery store parking lot in June 2024.

Prosecutors said Bionca Ellis, 32, attacked Margot Wood and her young son Julian Wood outside a Giant Eagle in North Olmsted after following them through the store with a knife she had taken from a nearby thrift shop. The brutal assault left the mother seriously wounded and claimed the life of her son.

Authorities described the attack as “random.” Records show Ellis had a history of run-ins with law enforcement and was arrested just days earlier, on May 30, 2024, for a probation violation related to a previous theft case. Despite that arrest, she was released before the deadly incident occurred.

Ellis, who had been charged in 2023 with stealing from a Walmart, was later indicted on charges of aggravated murder and other related offenses. She was held on a $1 million bond leading up to her sentencing.

On Monday, Judge John J. Russo sentenced Ellis to life imprisonment without parole, delivering a sentence that matched the wishes of the victim’s family. During the emotional hearing, relatives and community members remembered Julian and the devastating loss his death brought.

“Justice cannot undo tragedy,” Judge Russo said. “Mental illness does not excuse what you did.”

Julian’s father, Jared Wood, spoke through tears, saying his family would never be whole again.
“All of our hearts will forever be missing a piece,” he said.

Margot Wood, who survived the attack, recounted the heartbreaking moment she held her son in her arms as he took his final breaths.
“I watched him take his first breaths,” she said softly, “and I had to hold him as he took his last.”

Watch the sentencing: