Background: Bionca Ellis appears in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, court on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (WKYC/YouTube). Inset: Julian Wood (Ripepi Funeral Home).
In an Ohio courtroom on Wednesday, a woman received the grave news of her conviction for the murder of a young child in a grocery store parking lot.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that 34-year-old Bionca Ellis was found guilty on all nine counts related to the attack on 3-year-old Julian Wood and his mother. Her charges included aggravated murder, attempted murder, felonious assault, and child endangerment.
On the afternoon of June 3, 2024, Margot Wood, aged 37, and her son Julian were shopping at a Giant Eagle store in North Olmsted near Cleveland. At that time, Ellis was allegedly at a nearby Volunteers of America Thrift Store, where she reportedly stole two knives.
After obtaining the knives, Ellis allegedly entered the supermarket, noticed the mother and child, and began trailing them. As Margot Wood concluded her shopping and exited into the parking area, Ellis continued to follow, according to prosecutors.
In a disturbing sequence of events, Ellis approached their car and viciously stabbed the toddler, who was seated in the shopping cart, multiple times. When the child’s mother attempted to rescue him, she too was attacked. The incident prompted several bystanders to alert the authorities with urgent calls.
Officers from the North Olmsted police department quickly arrived at the location and observed Ellis heading towards a nearby road, still armed with a knife. She was promptly detained by law enforcement.
Margot Wood and Julian were transported to an area hospital, where the child passed away. Margot Wood was treated for her injuries.
She remembered her son as a jury found Ellis guilty on Wednesday.
“We just want to thank everyone for the love and support for our son,” Margot Wood said, per Cleveland-based NBC affiliate WKYC. “Everybody that’s visited him, commented, sent love, we appreciate you guys so much. This was for him today.”
Ellis had reportedly submitted a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Authorities did not believe the suspect and victims had any prior connection — and that the attack was a “random act of violence,” the local outlet reported. It took jurors about 24 hours of deliberating before they returned with the guilty verdict.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said his “thoughts and prayers remain with the Wood family. I can’t imagine the anguish they must feel after the loss of Julian.”
Ellis is set to be sentenced on Oct. 27. Under Ohio law, she faces up to life in prison and the possibility of the death penalty.
