Matthew Ponomarenko was a Parma, Ohio, father who murdered his five-year-old son, Jax, by beating him with a baseball bat on March 25, 2021. He pleaded guilty in November 2023 to aggravated murder, kidnapping, and endangering children, and was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 45 years.1Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Parma Father Pleads and Sentenced Life in Prison Killing 5-Year-Old Son He died in state custody on December 7, 2025, in what the Franklin County coroner’s office called an apparent suicide.2Cleveland.com. Parma Man Who Beat Son, 5, to Death With Baseball Bat Dies While Behind Bars
What Happened on March 25, 2021
Ponomarenko called 911 from the home he shared with Jax on Russell Avenue in Parma. He told the dispatcher, “I just killed my son,” said he had been “hearing voices,” and confirmed he had used a baseball bat. About four minutes into the call he said, “They’re here,” and hung up as officers arrived.3WCAX. I Just Killed My Son After Hearing Voices, Ohio Dad Tells 911 Dispatcher
Parma police found Jax in the living room with severe blunt-force injuries to his head and face. He was pronounced dead. Ponomarenko was arrested in the front yard.4Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Parma Father Indicted for Murder of 5-Year-Old Son The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by “blunt impacts of head with skull and brain injuries.”5News 5 Cleveland. Medical Examiner Confirms Cause of Death of 5-Year-Old Parma Boy Allegedly Killed by Father
Earlier Mental Health and Child Endangerment History
In July 2017, police found Ponomarenko and his then-one-year-old son naked in a public roadway. He was in the middle of a mental breakdown and admitted using methamphetamine, psychedelic mushrooms, and PCP. He pleaded no contest to child endangering and was found guilty. Cuyahoga County’s Department of Children and Family Services placed the child with a relative and worked with the family, then closed its file; the agency said it had had no contact with the family since 2019.6Cleveland.com. Parma Man Accused of Killing 5-Year-Old Son Previously Pleaded Guilty to Child Endangerment in 2017 Reporting after Jax’s death indicated Ponomarenko had recently been released from a behavioral health center.7Law & Crime. Man Pleads Not Guilty After 911 Call Shows Alleged Confession in Baseball Bat Murder of 5-Year-Old Son
The Indictments
A Cuyahoga County grand jury first indicted Ponomarenko on April 6, 2021, on two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of endangering children. Bond was set at $5 million.8Fox 8 Cleveland. Cause of Death Released for 5-Year-Old Boy in Parma4Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Parma Father Indicted for Murder of 5-Year-Old Son
At the end of July 2021, prosecutors secured a superseding indictment that carried a potential death sentence, with counts specifying purposeful killing and killing with “prior calculation and design” of a child under 13. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley called it “one of the most vicious attacks committed by a human being I have ever seen.” The case was assigned to a specialized docket for defendants with mental health issues, and Ponomarenko was evaluated for competency.9Cleveland.com. Parma Man Accused of Beating His 5-Year-Old Son to Death Indicted on Charges That Carry Death Penalty
The Plea Deal and Sentence
On November 9, 2023, Ponomarenko, then 34, pleaded guilty under an agreement that took the death penalty off the table. The state amended one aggravated murder count to a kidnapping charge and dismissed one endangering-children count. Ponomarenko pleaded guilty to one count each of aggravated murder, kidnapping, and endangering children, and agreed to withdraw his claim of “serious mental illness,” a designation that could have affected his death-penalty eligibility.10Supreme Court of Ohio. State v. Ponomarenko, 2024-Ohio-4789
He was sentenced to life in prison with first parole eligibility after 45 years.1Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Parma Father Pleads and Sentenced Life in Prison Killing 5-Year-Old Son
Death in Custody
Ponomarenko died on December 7, 2025, at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, and was pronounced dead at Ohio State University Hospital at 6:54 p.m. A spokesman for the Franklin County coroner’s office described the death as an apparent suicide, with the official cause pending. The facility said it was conducting a review, which it described as standard after the death of an incarcerated person.2Cleveland.com. Parma Man Who Beat Son, 5, to Death With Baseball Bat Dies While Behind Bars11Cleveland 19 News. Parma Dad Found Guilty Killing 5-Year-Old Son Takes Own Life in Prison
In July 2025, family members, including Jax’s mother, had submitted letters to a judge asking for mental health support for Ponomarenko, telling reporters he was “not receiving the mental health treatment he needed in prison.” In November 2025, Ponomarenko filed a petition to vacate his conviction, arguing he suffered from mental illness and had not understood the plea deal. No ruling had been issued on that petition when he died.11Cleveland 19 News. Parma Dad Found Guilty Killing 5-Year-Old Son Takes Own Life in Prison
Jax Ponomarenko
Jax was five years old. He was survived by his mother, Samantha Cherni, and his brother, Dominic Giampietro.12Cleveland.com Obituaries. Jax Ponomarenko Obituary Four days after the killing, family and community members gathered at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Parma for a vigil. Dominic led the crowd in singing “The Wheels on the Bus,” described as Jax’s favorite song.13Fox 8 Cleveland. Family to Remember 5-Year-Old Parma Boy at Vigil