A toddler was brutally hacked to death in front of his mother as she unloaded her shopping outside a supermarket in Ohio. Julian Wood, described by his father as 'full of life, love and laughter', was sitting in a shopping trolley when Bionca Ellis approached with a pair of stolen butcher knives and began attacking him.
Julian's mother, Margot, desperately tried to save her son by pulling him from the cart during the five-second assault. The boy suffered stab wounds to his face and back. Ellis was arrested minutes later, still holding the bloodied knife.
On October 15, Ellis was convicted on one count of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of endangering children, and one count of misdemeanour theft. She had been known to local police for prior theft charges but had no violent criminal history.
In court, Julian's father, Jared, praised his son as 'funny, outgoing, fearless' and branded Ellis a 'monster'. Margot addressed Ellis directly, saying: 'I hate you with every fibre of my being. I watched him take his first breath when he was born and his last when he died in my arms, covered in blood.'
Ellis apologised, stating: 'I just want to apologise, I am really sorry for what happened.' Her lawyer, Fernando Mack, described the attack as a 'different version of Bionca'.
