On March 25, 2021, Matthew Ponomarenko, 34, called 911 from his home in Parma, Ohio, to say that he had killed his son, Jax, 5.
“What do you mean you just killed your son?” said the dispatcher, according to audio released by cleveland.com.
“I’m hearing voices,” Ponomarenko said.
He said he did not know why he killed the child.
Now, more than two years later, he pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole after spending 45 years behind bars.
The charges are aggravated murder, kidnapping, and endangering children.
Jax Ponomarenko and Matthew J. Ponomarenko
Ponomarenko’s behavior put Jax in danger before. He pleaded no contest to a 2017 child endangerment case, according to Cleveland. Authorities said he left his son, then 1, in the middle of a road and yelled at people. He told cops he took substances such as meth and PCP, authorities said.
Jax’s uncle, Johnathan Cherni, told WOIO in a March 26, 2021, report the child was autistic and used a tablet to communicate.
He described the murder as sudden. Matthew Ponomarenko was recently let go from a behavioral health center and was off medication, but seemed OK.
“My mom dropped him off today,” Cherni said. “He was fine. He was vibrant, completely content, and all of a sudden, we get hit with all this.”
Officers responded to the scene on Russell Avenue on March 25.
They arrested Matthew Ponomarenko in the front yard. Inside, they found Jax in the living room. The child suffered blunt force trauma to his head and face.
“Matthew Ponomarenko brutally beat and killed his own son,” said Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. “With this sentence, I hope that the family can find a modicum of peace and solace. May Jax’s memory forever live in their hearts.
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