Current:Home > reviewsArizona man convicted of murder in starvation death of his 6-year-son -Trailblazer Capital Learning
Arizona man convicted of murder in starvation death of his 6-year-son
View
Date:2025-04-18 09:00:03
PHOENIX — An Arizona man was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday in connection to the starvation death of his 6-year-old son in 2020.
Authorities had accused Anthony Martinez, 28, of depriving his two children of water and food, keeping them locked in a bedroom closet in their Flagstaff apartment. On Thursday, a Coconino County Superior Court jury found Martinez guilty in the death of 6-year-old Deshaun Martinez, who was found unresponsive and locked in the closet in March 2020.
Anthony Martinez was convicted of seven counts, including first-degree murder, two counts of child abuse, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of aggravated assault against a police officer, the Arizona Daily Sun reported. His sentencing is scheduled for June 28.
His trial started on April 18, according to officials with the Superior Court of Coconino County. Jury deliberation started on Tuesday afternoon and ended on Thursday morning when a guilty verdict was announced.
Thursday's conviction is the second in the case. The boy's mother, Elizabeth Archibeque, was sentenced to life without parole last July after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse.
The children's grandmother, Ann Martinez, faces child abuse charges and is scheduled to enter trial in August.
Wisconsin man indicted:Man indicted after creating thousands of AI-generated child sex abuse images, prosecutors say
6-year-old found malnourished in a small closet
Police were called to the Flagstaff apartment on March 2, 2020, after Deshaun's father found him in the closet unresponsive. They discovered the boy locked in a small closet and weighing only 18 pounds, according to authorities.
The boy was later pronounced deceased from malnourishment, the Arizona Department of Child Safety said. His death was ruled as a homicide, according to an autopsy report.
At the time of his death, the autopsy report said the boy had a "skeletal" appearance, with skin stretched over his bones and sunken eyes. His body also had abrasions and bruises.
Deshaun's older brother, who was 7 years old at the time, was also found inside the closet, according to police. Further investigation revealed that the 7-year-old boy was in critical condition due to malnutrition, according to the state Department of Child Safety.
After he was released from the hospital, the department placed him in a foster home and also removed the boys' two younger sisters from the home and placed them in foster care.
The surviving children were later adopted by Marcy Roof, who spoke at their mother's sentencing in July 2023 and told the court that the children were traumatized by the incident, the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, previously reported.
Children were punished for 'stealing food' while parents slept
According to court documents reviewed by the Arizona Republic, the family told investigators that the boys were locked in the closet as punishment.
The children's parents estimated the boys were in the closet for about a month "because they were stealing food by sneaking out at night when the parents slept," according to police. Police believed the children had been locked in the closet for up to 16 hours a day and were often denied food.
The parents initially told authorities that Deshuan was malnourished because of a medical condition in addition to consuming diet and caffeine pills. They later admitted to locking him in the closet and depriving him of food as a form of punishment.
Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY; Miguel Torres and Jamie Landers, The Arizona Republic
veryGood! (244)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- A Nepal town imposes a lockdown and beefs up security to prevent clashes between Hindus and Muslims
- Attorneys announce $7 million settlement in fatal shooting by California Highway Patrol officers
- A Chicago woman died in a hotel freezer in 2017. Now her mother has reached a settlement
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- A Chicago woman died in a hotel freezer in 2017. Now her mother has reached a settlement
- 3 Philadelphia officers injured in shooting after dispute about video game, police say. Suspect dead
- A man charged with voter fraud in Florida blames rivalry between Trump and DeSantis supporters
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Vegetarianism may be in the genes, study finds
Ranking
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Prosecutors accuse rapper YNW Melly of witness tampering as his murder retrial looms
- IMF expects continuing US support for Ukraine despite Congress dropping aid
- 2023 MLB playoffs: Phillies reach NLDS as every wild-card series ends in sweep
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Fears about Amazon and Microsoft cloud computing dominance trigger UK probe
- 2 dead in plane crash into roof of home outside of Portland, Oregon
- EU countries overcome key obstacle in yearslong plan to overhaul the bloc’s asylum rules
Recommendation
The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
A man charged with voter fraud in Florida blames rivalry between Trump and DeSantis supporters
Meet this year’s MacArthur ‘genius grant’ recipients, including a hula master and the poet laureate
Brett Favre will testify under oath in Mississippi welfare scandal civil case
New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
Future of Ohio’s education system is unclear after judge extends restraining order on K-12 overhaul
House speaker chaos stuns lawmakers, frays relationships and roils Washington
2023 on track to become warmest year on record: Copernicus report