A 26-year-old Michigan man will spend decades in prison after starving his 2-year-old son to death inside the home he lived with the child’s mother last year.
Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Edward Servitto sentenced Jonathan Matthew Cheek to 24 to 50 years in a state jail prison on Wednesday in connection with the toddler’s terrible murder, according to police.
In October, Cheek reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead no contest to one count of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree child abuse.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to suggest a maximum five-decade term for Cheek, who previously faced the potential of life imprisonment.
Ervitto also sentenced Cheek to up to ten years in prison on the child abuse conviction, which will be served concurrently with the murder sentence. Cheek received credit for 643 days service.
“This is a heartbreaking and profoundly sad case,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido stated after the sentencing hearing. “A two-year-old child, full of promise and deserving of love and care, was let down in the most heartbreaking way. No penalty can restore this innocent life, but perhaps the family can begin to heal.”
Sierra Pearl Zaitona, the victim’s 28-year-old mother, is also charged with two counts. Her trial is currently slated to start on April 1, 2025.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Cheek and Zaitona called 911 on Thursday, March 16, 2023, to report finding their young son dead in his cot. According to prosecutors, a subsequent autopsy performed by the Office of the Medical Examiner revealed that the victim died as a result of malnutrition.
During the judicial processes following the parents’ incarceration, prosecutors stated that the victim was Cheek and Zaitona’s biological son and that he was in good health before being returned to their custody.
“For the record, the child was healthy in foster care, and once it got into the care of these two individuals, it met its demise,” Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Molly Zappitell said during an arraignment, according to the Macomb Daily.
It’s unknown why the youngster was in foster care before being returned to Zaitona and Cheek.
Prosecutors said that Zaitona was a flight risk and that she purposefully gave birth to the child in Ohio “to avoid alerting CPS.”
Zaitona is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on March 17, 2025.
