A northern Arizona man has been convicted of first-degree murder and other charges in the 2020 starvation death of his 6-year-old son and sentenced to life in prison, according to court proceedings.
A Coconino County judge on Friday sentenced Anthony Martinez, 28, to life in prison on a murder conviction, in addition to prison time related to convictions for molesting and kidnapping the dead child and her siblings.
In addition, a cumulative sentence of three years was added to the two aggravated assault convictions, which may be served concurrently or credited against time served.
of The Arizona Daily Sun reported. Martinez declined to speak during the court hearing but wrote a letter to his children, which was read by his lawyer, apologizing for “everything I put you through.”
Martinez’s legal representatives did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment Saturday.
Presiding Judge Ted Reed cited aggravating factors in Martinez’s sentence, saying the crimes were particularly heinous and cruel given that Martinez was in a position of trust as the children’s father.
The judge also noted that Martinez did not have a traumatic childhood or have any prior felony convictions.
Authorities said the boy, Deshawn Martinez, had been locked in a tiny bedroom closet with his brother for 16 hours a day for more than a month as punishment for stealing food in the middle of the night while their parents were asleep.
An autopsy revealed that the boy had weighed only 18 pounds at the time of his death, well below average for his age, and the cause of death was ruled a homicide.
The boy’s mother, Elizabeth Archibeck, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in July 2023.
