FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A northern Arizona man has been sentenced to life in prison for convictions that include first-degree murder in connection with the starvation of his 6-year-old son in 2020, court records show.
A Coconino County judge sentenced 28-year-old Anthony Martinez to life in prison on Friday for murder. He was given additional prison terms for child abuse and kidnapping in connection with the abuse of the deceased child and an older sibling.
In addition, two convictions for grievous bodily harm resulted in a total of three years in prison, which can either be served concurrently or credited towards time already served.
The Arizona Daily Sun reported that Martinez declined to speak during the court hearing, but wrote a letter to his children, which was read by a defense attorney, in which he apologized “for all that I have done to you.”
A legal representative for Martinez did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment Saturday.
Presiding Judge Ted Reed cited aggravating circumstances in sentencing, describing the crimes as particularly heinous and cruel because Martinez held a position of trust as the children’s father. The judge also acknowledged that Martinez had endured a traumatic childhood and that he had no previous felony convictions.
According to authorities, the deceased boy, Deshaun Martinez, was locked along with his older brother in a tiny closet in his bedroom for 16 hours a day for over a month as punishment for stealing food from the house at night while his parents were sleeping.
An autopsy revealed that the boy weighed only 8.1 kilograms when he died – far below average for his age. The cause of death was given as homicide.
The boy’s mother, Elizabeth Archibeque, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in July 2023.
