A woman accused of fatally stabbing a three-year-old boy in his pushchair outside an Ohio supermarket and injuring his mother has been deemed unfit to stand trial.
Judge John Russo of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas made the ruling on Friday, stating that 33-year-old Bionca Ellis from Cleveland will remain in hospital indefinitely but could face trial if her condition improves.
Ellis’ bail was set at $5million shortly after the attack, with her trial initially scheduled for December 9.
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According to authorities, Ellis was inside the Giant Eagle grocery store in North Olmsted, a suburb of Cleveland, on June 3 when she spotted Julian Wood and his mother, Margot Wood, near the entrance and followed them out into the car park.
(Image: WKYC Channel 3)
As Margot was loading her shopping into her car, Ellis allegedly charged at them with a knife, stabbing the toddler twice in an assault that lasted less than five seconds before she walked away.
Julian later died in hospital, while his mother was treated for a stab wound to her shoulder, which prosecutors believe she sustained while trying to pull her son out of the pushchair during the attack.
The motive behind the attack, which authorities believe was random, remains unclear. Ellis is being represented by the public defender’s office, which typically refrains from commenting on ongoing cases, reports the Mirror US.
Previously, it came to light that Ellis’ cuffing in Ohio wasn’t her debut altercation with the police. Chilling body cam footage released by the FOX 8 I-Team shows Florida cops had a run-in with Ellis for trespassing at a hotel mere months before the Ohio incident.
(Image: North Olmsted Police)
In her brush with the law, she brazenly informed police she fancied a stint behind bars. A bewildered officer quipped: “You need to leave the property.” Ellis fired back: “What about getting arrested?” She wouldn’t leave the premises, confessing to cops when grilled: “Because it’s cold outside and I have nowhere else to go.”
CCTV footage captured Ellis nervously pacing outside the Giant Eagle supermarket before entering at 2.58pm, brandishing a knife. Both Julian and his mother were swiftly taken to a nearby hospital by paramedics, but tragically, the young lad didn’t survive his injuries.
According to police reports, Julian sustained stab wounds to his back and cheek. Margot, however, survived the terrifying incident and is presently recuperating from non-life-threatening injuries.
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