Arizona man convicted of first-degree murder in starvation death of 6-year-old son

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A northern Arizona man was convicted in a jury trial Thursday of first-degree murder and other crimes in the 2020 starvation death of his 6-year-old son.

Authorities say the boy was locked in a tiny bedroom closet for 16 hours a day over a month with his older brother as punishment for stealing his family’s food at night when their parents were asleep.

A Coconino County Superior Court jury delivered its verdict against 28-year-old Anthony Martinez in the death of his son, Deshaun Martinez. In addition to the murder charge, it also found him guilty of two counts each of child abuse, kidnapping, and aggravated assault on law enforcement officres.

Prosecutors said an autopsy showed the boy weighed just 18 pounds (8.1 kilograms) and had died of severe starvation.

The boys’ mother, Elizabeth Archibeque, was sentenced in July 2023 to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse.