North Olmstead, Ohio – A 3-year-old White boy has now died from his injuries after police say he was violently stabbed alongside his mother in the parking lot of a grocery store on Monday. For the crime, Police arrested a Black woman who allegedly attacked her young victim and his mother in a “random act of violence.”
The heartbreaking incident took place at a Giant Eagle in North Olmstead, a suburb of Cleveland, at around 3 pm. Officials state that Margot Wood and her 3-year-old son Julian were putting groceries into the car when 32-year-old Bionca Ellis reportedly launched an unhinged and “random” attack.
Emergency services provided first aid to both victims, who were taken to St. John Medical Center. Young Julian died from stab wounds sustained to his back and chest. His mother, Margot, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was later released.
Ellis—who is Black—was found walking down a road near the crime scene, and was taken into custody by North Olmsted police. Reports state that when she was found, she was still carrying the bloody knife used in the attack.
Ellis was placed into custody at the North Olmsted Jail on charges of aggravated murder but may face more charges as the investigation continues. She is being held on $1 million bond and was said to have a history of shoplifting and other non-violent infractions revolving around retail theft.
It is currently unknown if hate crime charges are being considered, or if race was believed to be a factor in the killing. The Justice Report will continue to provide updates as they become available.
“This was a terrible tragedy for our entire community,” said Mayor Nicole Dailey Jones in a tearful statement. “As North Olmsted Mayor, and a mother myself, I cannot fathom what this family must be going through. To lose their youngest child in such a violent and senseless manner is absolutely heartbreaking.”
While the motive behind the attack is under investigation, Detective Sgt. Matthew Beck said, “This was entirely a random act of violence.” He further alleged that Ellis had obtained the murder weapon, a kitchen knife, from a Volunteers of America Thrift Store in the same shopping plaza.
“There’s no indication as to why she committed this,” said Detective Sergeant Beck. “She wouldn’t speak about anything, she lawyered up.”
When Ellis noticed her two White victims from inside the Giant Eagle, police say she followed them outside. The two parties did not know each other prior to the stabbing and subsequent murder of 3-year-old Julian Wood.
“Our family is overwhelmed with sadness,” read a statement on a GoFundMe page set up to help the family of young Julian. “…This will be an incredibly long journey to recovery, but truthfully we will never recover.”
“We will continue to share stories about our beautiful baby boy, his laugh, his cheesy smile, his rambunctious attitude, his love of dinosaurs, his love of school, his obsession with his new baby sister, and wrestling his big brother every chance he gets… and all the other beautiful things about that sweet little boy,” it continued.
At the time of press, the GoFundMe has raised $115,325 of its original $10,000 goal.
North Olmstead, originally a French colony prior to the American Revolution, is a suburb of minority-majority Cleveland, Ohio. According to the 2020 US Census Report, the racial makeup of North Olmstead was 86.4% White alone, down from 93.97% White in the year 2000.
Despite evidence that suggests the city and its surrounding areas are not safe for White lives, elements within Cleveland have instead prioritized pro-Black, anti-White social policies. Just this May, the anti-racism think-tank Project Noir announced a series of surveys to “amplify the voices of Black women” and “learn about their lived experiences.” The goal, they say, is to narrow down where to spend money to “address disparities and improve the(ir) outcomes.”
In March, a local pro-Black artist bemoaned a lack of medical care facilities tailor-suited for the racial proclivities of Black women. She further added that Black women like her and accused child murderer Bionca Ellis deserved spaces of “community, healing, and luxury.”
“Black women deserve luxury. We deserve to be treated and considered with the highest amount of respect and dignity when we’re trying to heal, especially heal ourselves of afflictions from the world we live in,” said Aja Barrett of Jubilee Wellness Retreats, just months before Julian Wood’s murder.
The abhorrent knife-killing of a 3-year-old White child at the hands of an alleged Black criminal comes amid a slew of violent acts targeting the White community’s most vulnerable. In May, a White couple in their 90s were killed in what reports say was a drug-fueled double homicide. For the crime, police arrested a Black man who broke into their home in Meridian, Mississippi.
In Lima, Ohio, a 14-year-old White girl, Lauralye Sterling, was found shot to death in her own bedroom. For the crime, Police arrested Black 18-year-old Malik Dennis, who was said to have climbed to the second story of her home before opening fire through a window.
This article originally appeared on the Justice Report, and is republished by The Noticer with permission.
