A northern Arizona man was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder and other crimes in the 2020 starvation death of his 6-year-old son.
Authorities say the boy, Deshaun Martinez, was locked in a tiny bedroom closet for 16 hours a day over a month with his older brother as punishment for stealing food in the home at night while their parents slept.
A Coconino County Superior Court jury found 28-year-old Anthony Martinez guilty in the boy’s death. Martinez also was convicted of two counts each of child abuse, kidnapping and aggravated assault on law enforcement officers. Sentencing is set for June 28.
An autopsy showed the boy weighed just 18 pounds (8.1 kilograms) when he died — well below average for his age. The manner of death was listed as a homicide.
The conviction Thursday was the second in the case.
The boy’s mother, Elizabeth Archibeque, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse and was sentenced in July 2023 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
