The Justice Report is a reader supported publication. Support our work by becoming a paid subscriber or making a one-time donation.
Related Story: Black woman arrested for ‘random’ knife-murder of 3-year-old boy
North Olmstead, Ohio – The municipal judge who released a Black woman now accused of butchering a 3-year-old White boy in the parking lot of a grocery store last week claims he would do it again.
Judge Brian Hagan of the Rocky River Municipal Court alleged that there weren’t any “red flags” and “no signs of mental distress” that warranted holding Black 32-year-old Bionca Ellis in pre-trial detainment.
His decision was made just three days before Ellis was said to have launched an unhinged knife attack against 3-year-old Julian Wood and his mother, Margot Wood, on June 3rd. Ellis had been arrested on May 29th for violating parole when she allegedly shoplifted nearly $70 from a Walmart store.
While authorities had an opportunity to stop the murder before it happened, Judge Hagan released her. He claims a lack of medical staff would have resulted in her spending multiple days in jail, which would have been unfair for a “minor case.”
“There wasn’t any red flags shooting up that pole. There wasn’t any indications here, no signs of any mental distress, no sign of any previous violent acts,” said Hagan to FOX8 news. “I’m confident in the way that the court handled this matter.”
“We did it by the letter of the law. There was nothing there to send up the alarms,” he continued.
NEW: Ohio judge DEFENDS releasing the woman days before she stabbed the 3-year-old boy to death and says he would NOT have done anything differently
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) June 12, 2024
Judge Brian Hagan: ‘There wasn’t any red flags shooting up that pole,’ he said, explaining that there were ‘no signs of mental… pic.twitter.com/SK2UADe2ce
A look into Ellis’ criminal history, however, seems to reveal a plethora of red flags, as records indicate she has violated probation numerous times across multiple states. In January, Ellis had a warrant for her arrest in Bakersfield, California, for the alleged assault of three different people.
Alarmingly, Ellis had even confessed to a murder and claimed she wanted to kill again. In February, she approached police in Cleveland and confessed to an apparent murder in California. Authorities hand-waved the confession as noncredible, however, and instead took her to a hospital for mental health evaluation.
Finally, in March, Ellis was arrested for trespassing in a hotel in Kissimmee, Florida. She would spend a month in jail after she couldn’t pay for boarding and refused to leave the hotel premises.
During a probation violation hearing late last month, Ellis was said to have become unresponsive in court, prompting officials to issue a mental health evaluation. After she was released by Judge Hagan, Ellis would later be implicated in the butchering of White 3-year-old Julian Wood 3 days later.
Surveillance camera video showed the exact moments Ellis stalked her targets—Julian and his mother Margot—out into the parking lot. Reports state that the 3-year-old dinosaur-loving Julian suffered multiple fatal wounds to the face and neck, while Margot sustained non-life-threatening shoulder injuries and ultimately survived the attack.
The murder would be called a “random act of violence.” So far, no hate crime charges have been applied.
The alleged Black killer is now in jail on an appropriate $5 million bond and has been indicted on numerous charges, which include aggravated murder. Ellis made headlines during a court hearing where she smiled and nodded to a camera, outraging a nation as it mourns the death of yet another White victim.
An independent Justice Report investigation revealed that Judge Hagan has close ties to Cleveland’s Jewish community. In a podcast hosted inside Cleveland’s Temple Beth Israel—which claims it has a duty to uphold the Jewish racial concept of Tikkun Olam—Hagan admits he would never have made it out of law school if not for his “close friend” and Jewish cohost Peter Sackett.
Hagan is also credited with having worked alongside “30 members from diverse justice-related backgrounds” in Ohio’s Task Force to Examine Bail. The pro-Black, anti-White criminal justice initiative aims to “consider all alternatives to pretrial detention,” which amounts to letting Black criminals onto the streets in order to “acknowledge the unfairness of cash bail.”
In the aftermath of the attack, the White community of North Olmstead, Ohio, has come together to show support for the Wood family during these times. Hundreds were seen gathering at Julian’s funeral procession this weekend for young Julian, and a family GoFundMe has already raised over $250,000 of its original $10,000 goal.
Bikers line the streets during a rally in support of late 3-year-old Julian Wood, butchered by a Black woman outside of a Giant Eagle in North Olmstead, Ohio.
— Justice Report (@JR_Newswire) June 11, 2024
Footage from: @OhioActiveClub pic.twitter.com/kcj2DUfetZ
The story of accused Black knife-murderer Bionca Ellis is developing, and the Justice Report will continue to provide updates as they become available.
In the United States, those who are elected to safeguard families and innocent civilians often fail to uphold the public trust, earning bipartisan criticism, outrage, and scorn. In 2022, Republican Judge Jennifer Muench-McElfresh ordered a Black career criminal to house arrest without a GPS monitor in Fairfield Township, Ohio. The suspect would later go on to allegedly shoot and kill an expectant White father in a Walmart during a botched shoplifting spree.
In August of that same year, Judge Tammy O’Brien—an appointee of former Republican Governor John Kasich—was said to be responsible for drastically lowering the bond amounts of Deshawn Stafford Jr., Tyler Stafford, and Donovon Jones, the three men exonerated for the murder of White teenager, Ethan Liming. Due to her actions, the three Black men were able to walk free prior to their criminal trial, in which they were eventually found not guilty of manslaughter in 2023.
Have a story? Please forward any tips or leads to the editors at [email protected]
