CLEVELAND — Bionca Ellis, the 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. "But it can affirm that what happened was wrong and that your child’s life mattered.”
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.
He read a statement during the sentencing hearing, sharing anecdotes about the boy he described as smart, funny and fearless.
He explained that Julian helped encourage the couple's older son, who is on the autism spectrum, to begin speaking.
"Julian had a special way with people to get them to grow and open up and just have fun," 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. "It profoundly affected an entire community and the officers sworn to serve it.”
Ellis's attorney, Fernando Mack, 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.
"Mr. Johnson and I respectfully disagree with the verdict," Mack said of the legal team.
"When on medication, she's been in custody without incident," he said.
The defense requested a sentence of 20 years.
Prosecutors told the judge Ellis deliberately targeted a helpless victim and asked for the maximum sentence.
“Mercy is given by God," said assistant prosecutor Anna Faraglia. "Courtrooms, judges dispense justice.”
The judge ordered the maximum sentence on all charges, to be served concurrently with a life sentence without parole for the aggravated murder charge.
He also used his platform to address mental health, saying the case highlights a dire need for equitable, effective services.
“I urgently implore our city and county leaders to continue providing facilities and programs that respond quickly and compassionately to those in crisis,” Russo said. “No family should have to lose a child and no family should have to watch their loved ones deteriorate because meaningful and effective mental health services were unavailable.”
When Ellis was given an opportunity to speak, she gave a brief statement.
“I just want to say I apologize. I’m really sorry for what happened,” she said.
The Wood family said they couldn't forgive her.
“What you did was unforgivable and it can never be taken back," said Margot Wood. "You deserve to go to jail for the rest of your life so you can’t hurt anyone else. You don’t deserve mercy. You didn’t give my son any.”
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.
