Giant Eagle stabbing suspect claimed she killed months before child’s death: I-Team
NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio (WJW) – New video released to the FOX 8 I-Team shows a woman talking about committing murder long before police say she killed a toddler.
Bionca Ellis has been indicted for killing a 3-year-old in June at a North Olmsted grocery store.
The video just released comes from an encounter Cleveland police had with Ellis back in February at a women’s shelter.
Police responded to a call for a disturbance involving Ellis. They found her wearing a pink outfit with glasses shaped like hearts.
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She told Cleveland police she had killed people in California, but police body camera video shows she made vague claims that didn’t make sense.
“What did you use to commit the murder? A gun?” an officer asked.
“Gun,” Ellis said softly.
“Do you know who it was?” the officer asked.
“Couple people,” Ellis responded. “There’s bodies.”
“Do you know if they found the person that you murdered” the officer asked.
“I don’t know, I probably ate them,” she responded.
“You probably ate them…” the officer reacted.
After that call, police took Ellis for a mental health check.
Then, in June, the I-Team revealed North Olmsted police arrested Ellis for violating probation in a theft case. A magistrate then recommended a psych exam, but Rocky River Judge Brian Hagan released Ellis from jail at that time with no exam.
Days later, investigators say Ellis murdered 3-year-old Julian Wood.
Her mother has told the I-Team of mental health issues going back a long time.
On the video from the February incident, Ellis also asked an officer, “did they find any of those bodies yet?”
Bakersfield police have told the I-Team the claims Ellis made were “not credible” and unfounded.
At one point, the Cleveland officer said to Ellis, “please inform me how I’m supposed to solve these Bakersfield murders from Cleveland, Ohio, ma’am.”
“If I had gone to law school to be an officer, I would,” she said.
Defense attorneys have said Ellis is incompetent to stand trial for the recent murder of the child. So, Cuyahoga County prosecutors requested to have Ellis evaluated by the court psych clinic.
The court docket shows we could find out the results of that at a hearing in a couple of weeks.
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Also, outside that Cleveland women’s shelter, an officer asked, “Ms. Ellis, are you diagnosed with anything?”
We’ve learned that the results of the latest psych exam could be a key factor in whether or not prosecutors decide to seek the death penalty. A prosecutor’s office committee will decide that question.
After that encounter at the shelter, Cleveland police say they took Ellis to a hospital and she fought with medical staff.
While police in California did not believe Ellis was tied to any homicides, she is facing charges for assaulting staff at a hospital there.
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