CLEVELAND (AP) — A choose in northeast Ohio sentenced a girl to life in jail with out the potential for parole Monday for the deadly stabbing of a 3-year-old boy as he sat in a grocery cart outdoors a grocery store.
Bionca Ellis, 34, of Cleveland, sat expressionless as Cuyahoga County Widespread Pleas Choose John Russo imposed the sentence for the June 2024 assault that killed 3-year-old Julian Wooden and injured his mom, Margot Wooden.
A jury discovered Ellis responsible earlier in October of aggravated homicide, felonious assault, youngster endangering and aggravated theft. She has been held in jail on a $5 million bond since being indicted by a grand jury final 12 months.
“I’ve seen unimaginable acts of violence — however that is among the many most heartbreaking,” prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley mentioned in a press release. “Bionca Ellis’ horrific actions warrant nothing lower than life with out parole.”
Ellis’ attorneys, Fernando Mack and Carlos Johnson mentioned the choose’s ruling is “the improper consequence” and that Ellis will enchantment the conviction and the sentence. They’d entered a plea of not responsible by motive of madness.
“On the time that she’s arrested and right through, she’s deemed incompetent, actually, so it’s laborious for us to swallow,” Mack mentioned. “To assume that she was solely OK only for that second, only for that day, however all the opposite days we’ll concede that she had some extreme psychological illness kicking in.”
Authorities mentioned Ellis entered the Large Eagle grocery retailer in North Olmsted armed with two knives that she had stolen from the Volunteers of America Thrift Retailer subsequent door. They mentioned she noticed Julian and his mom close to the entrance and adopted them into the car parking zone.
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The mom was about to load her groceries into her automobile when Ellis ran at them with a knife, stabbing the toddler twice earlier than strolling away. The boy died at a hospital whereas Margot Wooden was handled for a shoulder stab wound. Prosecutors mentioned she tried to tug her son out of the cart through the assault.