Jonathon Cheek and Sierra Zaitona: Parents charged with murder for starving son to death to stand trial
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CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN: A Michigan couple whose two-year-old son died in December 2023 will reportedly stand trial on charges of murder and child abuse.
The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office announced on Wednesday, March 20, that Jonathon Cheek, 26, and Sierra Zaitona, 28, will appear for arraignment at Macomb County Circuit Court in connection with the starving death of their 2-year-old son.
What did Jonathon Cheek and Sierra Zaitona do?
The Macomb County Prosecutor announced the charges filed against the parents of a 2-year-old boy whose name has not been revealed after he starved to death last year.
Cheek and Zaitona were both charged in connection to the death of their 2-year-old son on Wednesday, March 20, in Clinton Township.
Sierra Zaitona allegedly found the boy dead in his crib on Thursday, March 16, 2023. The prosecutor's office claims that Cheek was at his mother's house visiting her at the time, but he ultimately went back home following the death of his child.
The two-year-old died from malnutrition, according to the medical examiner's finding. Authorities accused Cheek and Zaitona of second-degree child abuse, which is a 10-year felony, and second-degree murder, which has a life sentence. The parents each were given a $1 million booking into the Macomb County Jail.
Michigan parents to appear in court on April 8
According to Macomb Daily, Zaitona and Cheek are scheduled to appear in court for their arraignment on April 8.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said, "When parents betray the sacred trust to nurture and protect, we must ensure that the scales of justice tip in favor of accountability."
Michigan woman found guilty of murder and child abuse
A similar incident unfolded last year when a jury found a western Michigan woman guilty of murder and child abuse in the starvation death of her disabled 15-year-old son who weighed just 69 pounds.
The Muskegon County Circuit Court jury convicted Shanda Vander Ark, 44, of Norton Shores in the July 6, 2022, death of her son Timothy Ferguson.
As per CBS, an autopsy determined the teenager died from malnourishment and hypothermia. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
