CLEVELAND — Bionca Ellis, the 32-year-old woman who fatally stabbed 3-year-old Julian Wood last year in a North Olmsted grocery store parking lot, was sentenced on Monday morning to life in prison without parole.
Watch the sentencing below:
On an emotional morning in which family members and the community remembered and mourned the boy who lost his life, Judge John J. Russo issued the sentence the boy's parents requested. "Justice cannot undo tragedy," Russo said. "Mental illness does not excuse what you did."
Jared Wood, Julian Wood's father, said his family is missing out on the time they should get to spend with him.
"All of our hearts will forever be missing a piece," Jared Wood said.
Margot Wood, who was also injured in the stabbing, said she watched her son take his first breaths and had to hold him in her arms, covered in blood, taking his last breaths.
"That woman murdering my son replays in my head every single day," she said. "I can still see the terror in his eyes and it haunts me every day."
"Just because you have a mental illness, doesn't justify for you murdering my son," she said.
North Olmsted Police Detective Sean Ventrice said the death of a child will forever impact all of the officers.
"In policing, we learn to build emotional armor, but this case pierced through it completely," Ventrice said.
Ellis' attorney, Mack Fernando, said Ellis was unstable from January 2024 until June 2024 because she was not taking her medicine and asked the judge to weigh her mental health during the sentencing.
The defense requested a sentence of 20 years.
What happened
On June 3, 2024, Ellis stole two knives from the Volunteers of America thrift store and then walked next door to the North Olmsted Giant Eagle, where she spotted a 38-year-old woman pushing a child in a cart.
Ellis followed Margot and Julian into the parking lot and then stabbed the child while he was in a grocery cart. When Margot tried to pull Julian out of the cart during the attack, Ellis stabbed her as well.
Margot and Julian were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, but unfortunately, Julian succumbed to his injuries.
RELATED: Suspect in 3-year-old's stabbing at North Olmsted grocery store parking lot indicted
Ellis's trial
Ellis’s trial date was repeatedly delayed as she was standoffish in court and ordered to have several mental health assessments to determine if she was competent to stand trial.
RELATED: Bionca Ellis attorneys say she is 'incompetent to stand trial' for fatal stabbing of Julian Wood
The trial began on Oct. 6, with both the defense and the prosecution presenting their opening arguments. And while neither side disputed the facts of what happened, Ellis's mental health was at the center of the case.
RELATED: Trial starts in case of woman accused of stabbing toddler to death
The days that followed were marked by eyewitnesses taking the stand to recount the events of June 3, 2024. Margot also testified, stating that she had had no connection or previous encounters with Ellis before the attack, which she said was sudden and came out of nowhere.
RELATED: Mother of toddler killed in 2024 stabbing testifies in Bionca Ellis trial
Ellis’s defense attorneys entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. They previously said their client’s behavior, medical history and interactions during and after the incident showed she was insane during the attack.
On Oct. 15, after a week of testimony, Ellis was found guilty on all charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, attempted murder, tampering with evidence and aggravated theft.
RELATED: Jury finds Bionca Ellis guilty on all charges for fatally stabbing 3-year-old Julian Wood
Julian's parents, Margot and Jared Wood, made a statement to the media after the verdict was announced.
"We just want to thank everyone for the love and support for our son," Margot Wood said after the verdict was announced. "Everybody that's visited him, commented, sent love, we appreciate you guys so much. This was for him today."
Following Julian's heartbreaking death, the community came together in support of the Wood family, as the streets of North Olmsted became flooded with the color green and dinosaurs during his funeral procession.
RELATED: Community comes together for Julian Wood, 3-year-old boy killed in North Olmsted
And almost a year after the stabbing, the community still rallied behind the family, with almost 1,000 runners showing up for the first-ever Juju Dino Dash — a 5K race honoring Julian's life this past April.
“He was obsessed with dinosaurs. Anything that had to do with dinosaurs — shows, dressing up as them, playing with them,” Margot said in April. “So we wanted to dedicate this race to him and what he loved.”
A GoFundMe was also started shortly after Julian was killed, raising more than $270,000, well surpassing the $10,000 goal.
