Arizona woman sentenced to life in prison for starvation death of 6-year-old son

A 29-year-old mother has been sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to the murder of her 6-year-old son.

Elizabeth Archibeque of Flagstaff, Arizona was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder and child abuse in the death of her son, Deshaun Martinez, in March 2020.

Police were called to the home in March after adults in the household discovered Deshaun unresponsive. They found him locked in a small closest weighing only 18 pounds, the size of an average 1-year-old. His older brother, then 7 years old, was crammed inside the closet as well, which has been described as so cramped, it was smaller than a doormat.

Police believed the children had been locked in the closet for up to 16 hours a day for a month, during which time they were often denied food.

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Locked in the closet for stealing food

According to court documents reviewed by the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY network, detectives interviewing the family were told the boys had initially been locked in the closet as punishment for stealing food from the fridge. The pair had reportedly sneaked into the kitchen while their mother and father, 27-year-old Anthony Jose Archibeque-Martinez, slept. Their grandmother, Ann Marie Martinez, 53, also lived in the home and reportedly punished the children when they were caught.

The parents initially told authorities that Deshuan’s malnourished state was due to a medical condition and the consumption of diet and caffeine pills. They later admitted to locking him in the closet and depriving him of food as a form of punishment.

According to an autopsy report, the boy ultimately succumbed to starvation and his death was ruled a homicide. At the time of discovery, the boy was described as “skeletal” in appearance, with skin stretched taught over bone and sunken eyes. His body also had abrasions and bruises.

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Woman said her husband was abusive

In court on Thursday, Archibeque briefly took the stand and told the judge she blamed herself for her son’s death and not removing him from the abuse she says they all suffered at the hands of her husband. Her attorney, Christine Brown, claimed that Anthony Martinez was abusive and controlling, not allowing Archibeque to interact with the two boys the same way she did with their two daughters, ages 4 and 2 at the time of Deshaun’s death, according to AP.

In stark contrast to their older brothers, the girls appeared well-taken care of, according to police testimony. All three surviving children have been taken in by foster parent Marcy Roof, who described the traumatic aftermath for Deshuan’s siblings in court.

The oldest boy who was discovered in the closest along with Deshaun initially had muscle atrophy in his legs so severe that it took over a year for him to straighten them out fully. When he came into Roof’s care, he was constantly anxious about his next meal and was terrified of water, eating, getting up at night and even using the bathroom. One of the younger sisters did not speak for three years after her brother’s death, Roof said, while the other recounted spine-chilling details that horrified the adults who listened.