CLEVELAND — Bionca Ellis, who was convicted last month of fatally stabbing 3-year-old Julian Wood outside a North Olmsted Giant Eagle, is officially appealing her lifetime sentence.

A jury found Ellis guilty of aggravated murder and a host of other charges in connection with the young boy's death, rejecting her insanity defense. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John J. Russo subsequently sentenced Ellis to life in prison without the possibility of parole .

Ellis' attorneys filed the appeal on Tuesday, asking the Eighth District Court of Appeals to review the punishment and provide a full transcript. The defense had previously made known its intentions to appeal, though this move does not formally challenge Ellis' guilty conviction.

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North Olmsted police said it was sh

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