CLEVELAND — After several delays and competency hearings, the trial for 34-year-old Bionca Ellis, the woman accused of stabbing a 3-year-old boy sitting in a shopping cart and attacking his mother in a Giant Eagle parking lot last year, began Monday with opening statements.
RELATED: Trial for woman accused of fatally stabbing 3-year-old to begin
We will not be streaming this trial at the request of the judge, but News 5 will have updates in our shows and on our website and app.
Ellis was indicted by a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury last year and charged with aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, two counts of attempted murder, tampering with evidence and aggravated theft for the June 3, 2024, attack that killed the toddler Julian Wood and left his mother injured.
RELATED: Suspect in 3-year-old's stabbing at North Olmsted grocery store parking lot indicted
She’s been held in jail on a $5 million bond since her arrest.
RELATED: Arraignment took three attempts as Ellis refused to cooperate
Both the defense and prosecution presented opening arguments on Monday. Neither side disputed the facts of what happened on June 3, 2024. But the defendant's mental health is at the heart of the case.
Prosecutors told the jury their case would be built around witnesses, surveillance video and expert testimony about how Ellis was aware of her actions and their consequences.
“Pay attention to actions and words. They’re very, very important in this case. And when you do that, you’ll find Bionca Ellis guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for each and every count of this indictment,” said assistant prosecutor Anna Faraglia. “She knew what she did. She appreciated the wrongfulness of her actions. You be the judge of her actions.”
The defense team said they're not disputing that Ellis killed Julian Wood and injured his mother. But they've entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity on her behalf. Monday, they told the jury their client's behaviors and their own expert testimony will support that claim.
“She’s responsible for the murder of Julian. She acknowledges through her lawyers that she’s responsible for the attempted murder of Margot," said defense attorney Fernando Mack. "There’s no running away from that. That’s not what this trial is about. The evidence will show, though, that it is obvious that she was insane at the time of the events.”
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 incompetent to stand trial; she's ordered to have inpatient treatment
After one such evaluation, a doctor ordered inpatient treatment, and a judge had to sign an order forcing Ellis to take medication on the recommendation of her doctor.
RELATED: Judge signs order forcing Bionca Ellis to take medication while at inpatient treatment facility
The attack
According to North Olmsted Police Detective Sgt. Matt Beck, Ellis, was at the Volunteers of America store, which is a thrift shop adjacent to the grocery store, on June 3, 2024, where she obtained some sort of kitchen knife.
RELATED: North Olmsted toddler stabbing suspect visited police station, several stores before fatal attack
Beck described what happened during a news conference on the day the child was stabbed.
Watch below:
Ellis then left the store, walked over to Giant Eagle, located in the 27000 block of Lorain Road, just after 3 p.m., and approached the 38-year-old mother, who was pushing Julian in a grocery cart as they were nearing their vehicle. Ellis allegedly stabbed the woman and Julian multiple times and walked off. The entire attack unfolded quickly, Beck said.
The city's police department is right across Lorain Road, and multiple officers responded to the parking lot after the department was inundated with 911 calls about the stabbing. Officers tracked Ellis down nearby and took her into custody without resistance. The suspected weapon was found next to Ellis when she was arrested.
The mother and Julian were taken to a nearby hospital. Julian later died from his injuries.
Officials said the motive behind the attack was unknown, and it appears it was a random act of violence. Ellis and the victims had no prior interactions, according to police.
Police said Ellis was known to the North Olmsted Police due to a 2023 shoplifting incident at a Walmart in the city.
Up until that point, her previous crimes, locally, never included a history of violence. However, court records show that she had a run-in with law enforcement in California and was arrested for punching and kicking security guards at a hospital.
RELATED: Suspect in North Olmsted toddler stabbing death had run-in with police in California
Julian’s parents later filed a lawsuit against Giant Eagle, seeking to hold them accountable, stating that the boy’s death was preventable, and highlighted a pattern of violent incidents at Giant Eagle stores across Ohio, including the same one where the boy was stabbed, as twelve months prior, there was a homicide suicide at the same location.
Watch more about the lawsuit below:
RELATED: Parents of 3-year-old stabbed outside Giant Eagle suing grocery chain
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support the family. CLICK HERE for more information.
