Ohio Woman Convicted, Sentenced to Life for Toddler Murder

Bionca Ellis, 34, was sentenced Oct. 27 to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury convicted her of aggravated murder and related counts for fatally stabbing 3‑year‑old Julian Wood and wounding his mother, Margot, in the Giant Eagle parking lot in North Olmsted on June 3, 2024. Security footage and court testimony showed Ellis stole two knives from a nearby thrift store, followed the family and stabbed Julian in his shopping cart, and authorities said she was arrested near the scene with a knife. Jurors rejected Ellis’s not‑guilty‑by‑reason‑of‑insanity defense despite testimony about a history of schizophrenia, and her attorneys said they intend to appeal. Family members described ongoing trauma, with Margot Wood saying the killing “replays in my head every single day.”