CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Parma dad convicted of beating his five-year-old son to death with a baseball bat in 2021, took his own life in prison.

Parma police confirmed Matthew Ponomarenko hung himself on Dec. 7 at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient.

19 News has reached out to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections for a comment.

Ponomarenko killed his son, Jax Ponomarenko, inside their Parma home on Russell Avenue on March 25, 2021.

In November 2023, Ponomarenko was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 45 years.

According to police, Ponomarenko called 911 after the attack and told dispatchers he had just killed his son after hearing voices.

When police arrived they found the little boy’s body in the living room.

Ponomarenko wa

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