Arizona man sentenced to life for murder in starvation death of his 6-year-old son

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A northern Arizona man has been sentenced to prison for the rest of his life on charges including first-degree murder in the 2020 starvation death of his 6-year-old son, court hearings judicial.

A Coconino County judge on Friday sentenced Anthony Martinez, 28, to life in prison for murder, with additional prison time related to child abuse and kidnapping convictions for abusing the deceased child and an older brother.

Additionally, cumulative three-year prison sentences were added for two aggravated assault convictions, which can be served concurrently or credited toward time served.

The Arizona Daily Sun reported that Martinez refused to speak during the court hearing but wrote a letter to his children that was read aloud by a defense attorney, apologizing “for everything I made you suffer.”

Presiding Judge Ted Reed cited aggravating factors in sentencing Martinez, describing the crimes as particularly heinous and cruel when Martinez was in a position of trust as the children's father. The judge also acknowledged that Martinez suffered a traumatic childhood and had no prior criminal convictions.

Authorities say the deceased boy, Deshaun Martinez, was locked in a tiny bedroom closet for 16 hours a day for a month with his older brother as punishment for stealing food from the home at night while their parents were sleeping.

An autopsy showed the boy weighed just 18 pounds (8.1 kilograms) when he died, well below average for his age. The manner of death was listed as a homicide.

The boy's mother, Elizabeth Archibeque, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse and was sentenced in July 2023 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.