Background: The Macomb County Circuit Court in Mt. Clemens, Mich. (Google Maps). Inset: Sierra Pearl Zaitona (Macomb County Jail).
A Michigan woman convicted of the second-degree murder of her toddler son was sentenced to decades behind bars this week.
Sierra Pearl Zaitona, 29, pleaded no contest to one charge of second-degree homicide and one charge of second-degree child abuse two years after the starvation death of her 2-year-old son.
Zaitona, along with the boy’s father, Jonathon Matthew Cheek, 26, were arrested in March 2023 after calling 911 when they found their son unresponsive in his crib. Prosecutors accused the couple, who were the biological parents of the child, of starving him to death.
Cheek, who faced the same charges as Zaitona, reached a plea deal with Macomb County prosecutors in October 2024.
On Dec. 18, 2024, Cheek was sentenced to 24 to 50 years in prison on the homicide count and up to 10 years for the child abuse count, along with credit for time served in the Macomb County Jail. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
On April 9, Zaitona received the same sentence after pleading no contest to both charges. Both she and Cheek could have faced life in prison. Zaitona will also be listed on Michigan’s Central Registry for Child Abuse and Neglect.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a press release, “The tragic circumstances surrounding this case are heartbreaking as they involve the loss of a young life. An entire family is also permanently impacted in a terrible way. Our thoughts are with the family during this incredibly difficult time. We hope this resolution brings some measure of healing and closure while providing justice for the victim.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, Zaitona and Cheek called 911 on March 16, 2023, after finding their 2-year-old son dead in his crib.
An autopsy revealed that the boy had starved to death. Court proceedings also showed the boy had previously been in foster care and was healthy and thriving before being returned to his biological parents.
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