An Arizona father faces a life behind bars after a jury convicted him of starving his 6-year-old son to death. Anthony Martinez, 28, was found guilty on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, child abuse, and kidnapping, according to the FOX 10 Phoenix. The disturbing details emerged during the trial, revealing a tragic end for little Deshaun Martinez, who was locked in a bedroom closet for extended periods as punishment by his parents.
In March of 2020, authorities were called to the Martinez home in Flagstaff, Arizona, where they discovered Deshaun unresponsive. He weighed only 18 pounds, which is alarmingly below the average for a child of his age. Anthony Martinez's sentencing is now to quickly follow, scheduled for June 28, as reported by USA Today. Deshuan's shocking death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, painting a gruesome picture of the treatment he suffered at his father's hands.
The boy's mother, Elizabeth Archibeque, was already sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in July 2023, after she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse. The couple's other son, who was seven years old at the time of Deshaun's death, was also found in a severely malnourished state but survived after nearly three weeks of hospital treatment. The trial revealed that the two boys were confined "from 8 p.m. to noon daily for a month with limited food" and prevented from attending school, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
In a disturbing contrast, police found that the couple's other two children, two young girls, appeared healthy and showed no signs of maltreatment. Ann Martinez, the children's grandmother, also faces charges of child abuse and is slated to stand trial in August. She has pleaded not guilty to the accusations, which include disciplining the boys by allegedly hitting them with a coat hanger.
The Martinezes initially tried to explain their sons' condition by attributing it to a medical issue and claiming they had ingested diet or caffeine pills. But during the trial, Anthony Martinez admitted to feeding the boys only oatmeal and bread for breakfast and lunch, detailing that he would play video games beside the locked closet, ensuring the boys couldn't escape, "the newspaper reported," mentioned by FOX 10 Phoenix. As the case moves towards sentencing, the community and nation grapple with the harrowing details of young Deshaun's final days.
