In a chilling courtroom scene, Bionca Ellis, the suspect in the brutal stabbing of a 3-year-old Ohio boy, was seen smirking and smiling as the indictment against her was read out.
The incident took place outside a Giant Eagle supermarket last week, according to Fox News.
The unsettling display by Ellis, a 32-year-old Cleveland resident, occurred on Monday in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Jared Wood, the grieving father of the slain toddler, Julian Wood, pleaded with the judge, "Just do whatever you can to keep this monster behind bars."
"That day, one week ago, she took everything from us. Theres nothing that could ever replace my son or anything that my wife and I, even our other kids, are going through. Its horrendous. I really wish no bail. Period," Wood implored the court. When approached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Wood declined to comment further on the case or Ellis' courtroom demeanor.
Ellis, who faces charges of aggravated murder and endangering children, had her bail set at $5 million. These charges stem from the June 3 attack allegedly aimed at Wood and his mother, Margot, in the parking lot of the North Olmsted Giant Eagle supermarket.
Authorities have stated that Ellis procured the knife used in the attack from a nearby thrift store. Surveillance footage released by the police shows her meandering around the shopping center moments before the stabbing.
North Olmsted Detective Sgt. Matt Beck provided a chilling account of the incident last week. He said Ellis "walked over to Giant Eagle, where she was on their cameras, spotted Mrs. Wood and her son and then proceeded to follow them out to the parking lot. Somewhere near their vehicle, Mrs. Ellis then attacked the two of them." He added, "There is no indication why she committed this. There is some mental health concerns that we have, but nothing concrete at this point."
The young victim, Julian Wood, tragically succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. His mother, Margot Wood, 37, received treatment for a stab wound to her shoulder, which prosecutors say she sustained while attempting to rescue her child from a shopping cart during the assault, as reported by The Associated Press.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael OMalley expressed his devastation over the case, stating, "As a father, I could not begin to imagine this grief, but I can promise that we will do everything in our power to bring justice for Julian Wood and the Wood family."
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