Blog

A father has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of a series of crimes, including murder, in the death of his six-year-old son, who was starved and locked in a tiny closet. Anthony Martinez has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his six-year-old son, Deshaun Martinez.

Along with his wife, Elizabeth Archibeque, they locked Deshaun and his older brother in a tiny room that stank of urine and provided them with minimal food, leading to Deshaun’s starvation death in 2020. Martinez was also sentenced to several prison terms, including child abuse and kidnapping in connection with the abuse of the deceased child and an older sibling.

In addition, he received a total of three years in prison for two convictions of aggravated assault, which he can serve concurrently or count toward time already served. At the time of his death, Deshaun weighed only 18 pounds, was denied food, and was locked in a 21-by-25-inch closet for 16 hours a day for a month that “smelled foul, horrible of urine” and had an orange piece of plastic on the floor. This was a form of punishment for stealing food from the house at night while his parents were sleeping.

Judge Ted Reed of the Coconino Superior Court called the crimes committed “heinous and cruel.” The judge also stressed that Martinez, the father, was in a “position of trust” with his children, reports the Mirror. It was noted that Martinez, despite having a traumatic childhood himself, had never been convicted of a crime before.

Although Martinez remained silent throughout the proceedings, he showed his remorse in an apology letter to his children. This letter, read by his defense attorney during the trial, expressed his deep regret for the hardship he had inflicted on them.

Elizabeth Archibeque, who was only 29 years old when she was sentenced in 2023, received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Her verdict came after she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse that led to the tragic death of her son, Deshaun.

Pathological examinations confirmed in March 2020 that the boy had died of starvation.

During the trial, Archibeque took full responsibility for her son’s death and accepted any sentence imposed on her. During her testimony, she expressed her grief, saying, “A big part of me died along with my wonderful child. Not a day goes by that I don’t grieve… I’m so sorry.”

At first, the parents made up a story, claiming that their son’s severe malnutrition was due to illness and the use of diet or caffeine pills. Although they initially denied it, it didn’t take long for them to confess the horrific truth: they had been locking up their children and depriving them of food for long periods of time.

Deshaun’s grandmother, Ann Martinez, found him unconscious and assumed he had died, so she made a disturbing 911 call on March 2, 2020.

Meanwhile, two sisters were discovered healthy in the apartment where they lived.

Triggering details of the investigation were revealed by Flagstaff Police Detective Melissa Seay, who said, “I have never seen anything so gruesome in my entire life.”

Other horrifying descriptions of Deshaun described him as “just bones,” his face was “completely sunken,” and he looked like a “skeleton.”

“His bones were sticking out of his back. I could see his ribs,” she then revealed. Unfortunately, Deshaun’s brother was in an equally pitiful state.