Michigan man sentenced for starvation death of 2-year-old son
(CBS DETROIT) — A Macomb County man has been sentenced in connection to the 2023 starvation death of his 2-year-old son.
Jonathon Matthew Cheek, 26, of Clinton Township, was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree child abuse after his son was found dead in his crib on March 16, 2023. A medical examiner ruled the cause of death was starvation.
Cheek pleaded no contest in October 2024.
"This is a heartbreaking and profoundly sad case. A two-year-old child, full of potential and deserving of love and care, was failed in the most devastating way. No sentence can bring back this innocent life, but hopefully, the family can begin to heal," said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
Cheek was sentenced Wednesday to 24 to 50 years for second-degree murder and 86 months to 10 years on second-degree child abuse charges.
The boy's mother, Sierra Pearl Zaitona, was also charged with second-degree murder and child abuse.
