Arizona father jailed for life after starving 6-year-old son to death in closet during brutal abuse

A father has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of numerous crimes, including murder, in connection with the deaths of his six-year-old son and older brother, starved and confined to a tiny cupboard.

Anthony Martinez, the father, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his six-year-old son, Deshaun Martinez. Along with his wife, Elizabeth Archibeque, they imprisoned Deshaun and his older brother in a tiny closet filled with a stench of urine and provided the boys with minimal food, leading to their deaths from starvation by Deshaun in 2020.

Martinez was also sentenced to multiple prison terms for child abuse and kidnapping related to the abuse of the deceased child and an older sibling. In addition, he was sentenced to cumulative three-year prison terms for two aggravated assault convictions, which can be served concurrently or credited against time already served.

At the time of his death, Deshaun weighed only 18 pounds, was deprived of food and locked in a 21 x 25 inch closet for 16 hours a day for a month with a “foul, horrible smell of urine” and a piece of orange plastic on the floor. It was a form of punishment for stealing food from home at night while his parents slept.

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During the trial, Coconino Superior Court Judge Ted Reed called the offenses “heinous and cruel” committed by a father who was in a position of “trust” toward his children. It was also acknowledged that Martinez had a traumatic childhood and had no prior criminal convictions, the Mirror reports.

Although Martinez chose not to speak during the hearing, he expressed remorse and wrote a letter to his children that was read aloud during the trial by his defense attorney. In the letter, he apologized “for everything I put you through.”

In 2023, Elizabeth Archibeque, 29, was sentenced to life without parole after confessing to first-degree murder and child abuse leading to Deshaun's death. His autopsy report confirmed that he died of starvation in March 2020.

Archibeque admitted guilt over her son's death in court testimony, accepting whatever sentence she would receive. She told the court: “A big part of me died with my beautiful child. There's not a day that goes by that I'm not in mourning… I'm so sorry.”

At first, the couple made up a story that their son's malnourished state was due to a medical problem and his use of diet pills or caffeine. However, they eventually confessed to the horrific crime, admitting to keeping their sons locked up and starved for hours.

On March 2, 2020, Deshaun's grandmother, Ann Martinez, discovered him lifeless and feared the worst, prompting her to call 911. Despite this grief, two sisters were found healthy at the family home.

Flagstaff Police Detective Melissa Seay gave a heartbreaking account during her investigation, saying, “I have never seen something so horrible in my entire life. »

She revealed Deshaun's harrowing condition as “just bones,” his facial features “completely sunken,” comparing him to a “skeleton. His bones were sticking out of his back. I could see his ribs,” she continued. Her brother's condition was only slightly less concerning.