CLEVELAND, Ohio – Bionca Ellis, with a large kitchen knife dangling in her hand, spotted the mother and toddler less than two minutes after walking into the Giant Eagle in North Olmsted.
Ellis passed Margot and Julian Wood in an aisle and immediately turned around to follow them out of the store, according to store videos obtained by Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer from police.
Once outside, Ellis stabbed them, killing Julian and injuring Margot, police said. Officers arrested Ellis minutes later near the store.
The videos, for the first time, offer details of the moments prior to the attack on the mother and son from North Olmsted. Authorities said the attack was random. The recordings show that Ellis quickly targeted Wood and her son once in the store.
Chris Quinn, the editor of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, decided not to publish the videos because he did not believe the news value exceeded prurient interest.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley called the killing “devastating” in a statement Wednesday announcing the aggravated murder charges filed against Ellis, 32, of Cleveland.
“As a father, I could not begin to imagine this grief,” O’Malley said in announcing charges against Ellis.
In videos from the store, Ellis, of Cleveland, entered Giant Eagle on Lorain Road at 2:58 p.m. carrying a knife loosely. Police said she had stolen it from a Volunteers of America thrift store nearby earlier.
She walked past the self-checkout service at Giant Eagle, saw other shoppers and passed Wood, who had Julian seated in the shopping cart and was headed in the opposite direction, according to the videos. After the two women walked by each other, Ellis immediately turned around, narrowing in on Wood and started following them, the videos show.
The women did not appear to say anything to each other.
Footage from the exterior of the store shows Wood and her son headed toward their car in the parking lot just before 3 p.m. Ellis followed behind.
The video is blurred. It does not show the attack but does indicate the chaos that erupted as shoppers ran through the parking lot toward Wood and her son. Ellis, meanwhile, walked away at 3:01 p.m.
A minute later, police arrived.
Some people ran toward Ellis. Others pointed officers to where Ellis was walking.
Ellis was lying on the ground when officers approached to handcuff her. She said nothing to them. The knife was on the ground nearby.
On Wednesday, a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Ellis on charges of aggravated murder, murder, attempted murder, felonious assault, endangering children, tampering with evidence and theft in the attack.
Ellis is jailed on a $1 million bond set Tuesday. She will face a judge in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Monday.
The stabbing shook North Olmsted, the western suburb of 32,000 people. A family member started a GoFundMe page. It has raised almost $200,000 in two days.
In a message on the page, the family wrote: “We are profoundly grateful for the overwhelming generosity and support. Your donations, kind words and heartfelt messages have provided us with much needed comfort and relief as we navigate through our grief.
“The funds raised will help us cover funeral expenses, legal fees and support for the family, allowing us to focus on healing and remembering JuJu. Your kindness has not only alleviated some of the financial burdens, but has also brought us a sense of peace knowing that we are surrounded by such a caring community.”
Funeral arrangements for the boy, who his family called “Juju” were announced Thursday. A mass is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Parma, according to his obituary.
The family has asked residents to form a memory line of Julian’s two favorite things, the color green and dinosaurs. They are hoping residents place the items along the route from St. Charles Borromeo to Sunset Memorial Park on Columbia Road.
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