Parma father accused of beating son to death pleads not guilty to aggravated murder, other charges
By Cory Shaffer
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Parma father accused of beating his 5-year-old son to death with a baseball bat pleaded not guilty during his Friday arraignment.
Matthew Ponomarenko, 31, is charged with aggravated murder and child endangerment in the killing of his son Jax Ponomarenko.
Ponomarenko, who has his son’s name tattooed above his left eye, appeared via a live video from the Cuyahoga County Jail.
The boy’s maternal grandmother asked Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Dick Ambrose to order Ponomarenko jailed without bond. Ambrose continued the bond at $5 million.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley’s office is still deciding whether to pursue charges against Ponomarenko that would make him eligible for the death penalty if he is convicted in the case.
The case was assigned to Judge Michael Russo.
Ponomarenko was arrested March 25 after he called police to his home on Russell Avenue near West 45th Street. Parma police previously released the 911 call in which Ponomarenko told a dispatcher that he struck his son with a baseball bat and was hearing voices.
Police went to the home and found Jax lying on the living room floor with severe head trauma, prosecutors said Tuesday. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner determined Jax died of blunt force impacts to his head and ruled his death a homicide.
https://www.cleveland.com/court-just...outputType=amp
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