Woman laughs as court charges are read: She is accused of stabbing a 3-year-old boy to death and could face the death penalty in Ohio

A woman accused of murdering a three-year-old boy and injuring his mother in an Ohio parking lot laughed as the gruesome charges against her were read in court.

This Monday, Bionca Ellis, 32 years old, appeared before Judge Nancy Margaret Russo of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, where the ten criminal charges she faces were read, including two for murder and two for attempted murder for the stabbing of Julian Wood and his mother, Margot Wood.

Although she could face the death penalty if convicted, Ellis displayed disturbing behavior during the hearing, smiling several times and whispering while answering questions. She even laughed when she declared that she considered herself innocent of the charges brought against her for the violent incident that occurred just a week ago at a Giant Eagle in North Olmsted, near Cleveland.

Following Ellis’ statements, Judge Russo set bail at the maximum allowed, $5 million, and Ellis was held in custody.

The attack

According to police reports, Ellis attacked Julian and his mother with a knife while Margot Wood was putting groceries in the trunk of her car in the supermarket parking lot. The attack began shortly after 3 p.m. and lasted less than five minutes. Ellis lunged at them with the knife, stabbing the boy twice. The boy died at a hospital while Margot Wood was treated for a stab wound to the shoulder, a wound prosecutors say she suffered after trying to get the boy out of the car during the attack.

Officers quickly arrived at the scene and arrested Ellis, who was still holding the weapon. Although the motive for the attack remains unclear, authorities believe it was a random act of violence.

“She took everything from us”

Jared Wood, Julian’s father, expressed his grief in court, describing Ellis as a “monster” and stating that his family will never be the same again. “She took everything from us. There’s nothing that could ever replace my son,” he said, pleading with the judge to do everything possible to keep Ellis behind bars.