By Raul Castillo
May 26, 2024, 18:42 PM EDT
A jury in Arizona on Thursday convicted Anthony José Martínez, 28, of first-degree murder, child abuse and kidnapping resulting in death, after it was discovered that he starved his 6-year-old son to death in March 2020. The minor , Deshaun Martínez, weighed only 18 pounds (8 kilograms) when he died.
The man forced his 6-year-old son and his older brother to stay in a small closet for 16 hours a day as punishment for stealing food while their parents were sleeping. The sentence will be handed down on June 28, according to The Associated Press.
Elizabeth Archibeque, the man’s wife and Deshuan’s mother, pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder and kidnapping. A judge sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to the Arizona Daily Sun, prosecutors presented compelling evidence during the trial, showing that although there was enough food in the house, Martinez allowed her children to suffer from severe malnutrition.
Photos presented in court showed Martínez buying food, indicating that the household was not lacking resources.
During the trial, Martínez’s defense tried to argue that his wife manipulated him, making him believe that the situation was under control and that he was simply following her instructions.
“Skeletal appearance”
In March 2020, Deshaun’s lifeless body was found at the Martinez residence. An autopsy performed by the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that the child had died of starvation.
The autopsy described the child as having a “skeletal appearance” due to the almost complete absence of body fat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), A typical healthy weight for a 6-year-old child in the United States would be significantly more than 18 pounds.
Deshaun also had cuts and scrapes on his body. The boy’s grandmother, Ann Marie Martinez, 54, faces charges of murder and child abuse and is scheduled to go on trial in August.
Initially, Deshaun’s parents alleged to the Flagstaff Police Department that his extremely low weight was due to a chronic medical condition and the use of caffeine or weight-loss pills, The Associated Press reported. However, investigations revealed an extreme punishment regime applied at home.
The parents later admitted that they kept Deshaun and his older brother locked in a closet for approximately 16 hours a day, giving them very little food. This “discipline” method was implemented for about a month to punish them for leaving their beds at night and eating secretly.
Deshaun’s older brother, who was 7 years old at the time, was also malnourished and was admitted to Flagstaff Medical Center. After a week’s stay in the hospital, doctors managed to stabilize his weight.
He and his younger siblings are currently in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
During Archibeque’s sentencing hearing, the judge called his son’s torture “atrocious, cruel and depraved behavior.”
With information from Law&Crime.
Keep reading:
- Arizona mother accused of murder for letting her son die of malnutrition pleads guilty
- Hispanic boy died malnourished locked in a closet by his own parents