Bionca Ellis claimed she had killed the giant eagle months before the knife attack

Ed Gallek and Peggy Gallek

14 mins ago

NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio (WJW) – In new video obtained by the FOX 8 I-Team, a woman can be seen talking about committing murder long before she killed a toddler, according to police.

Bionca Ellis has been charged with killing a three-year-old child at a North Olmsted grocery store in June.

The just-released video comes from an encounter between Cleveland police and Ellis in February at a women’s shelter.

Police responded to a 911 call about a disturbance involving Ellis. They found her wearing a pink outfit and heart-shaped glasses.

She told Cleveland police that she had killed people in California, but police body camera footage shows her making vague claims that made no sense.

“What did you use to commit the murder? A gun?” asked an officer.

“Gun,” Ellis said quietly.

“Do you know who it was?” asked the officer.

“A few people,” Ellis replied. “There are bodies.”

“Do you know if they found the person you murdered?” the officer asked.

“I don’t know, I probably ate them,” she replied.

“You probably ate them…” the officer responded.

After this call, the police conducted a psychiatric evaluation on Ellis.

Then, in June, the I-Team revealed that North Olmsted police had arrested Ellis for violating probation in a theft case. A judge then recommended a psychological evaluation, but Rocky River Judge Brian Hagan released Ellis from prison without an evaluation at the time.

A few days later, according to investigators, Ellis murdered three-year-old Julian Wood.

Her mother told the I-Team about long-standing mental health issues.

In the video of the February incident, Ellis also asked an officer, “Have you found any of these bodies yet?”

Bakersfield police told the I-Team that Ellis’ claims were “not credible” and without merit.

At one point, the Cleveland police officer said to Ellis, “Please tell me from Cleveland, Ohio how to solve these murders in Bakersfield, ma’am.”

“If I had studied law to become an officer, I would have done it,” she said.

Defense attorneys have argued that Ellis is not competent to stand trial on the child’s murder charge, so Cuyahoga County prosecutors have requested that Ellis be evaluated at the court’s psychiatric hospital.

The court file indicates that we could find out the outcome at a hearing in a few weeks.

In addition, an officer outside the women’s shelter in Cleveland asked: “Ms. Ellis, is something wrong with you?”

We have learned that the results of the final psychological examination could be a decisive factor in whether or not the prosecution seeks the death penalty. A committee of the prosecution will decide this question.

After this encounter at the shelter, Cleveland police took Ellis to a hospital, where she argued with medical staff.

Although police in California do not believe Ellis is connected to a murder, she is accused of attacking hospital staff there.