An Arizona man, Anthony Jose Martinez, received a life sentence for killing his son, DeShaun Matinez, in 2020 by starving him to death.
In Coconino County Superior Court, Martinez was sentenced after his lawyer delivered part of an apology letter he had written to his surviving children. Two of the child’s other siblings did not experience the same level of physical abuse as the deceased, but they nevertheless suffered lasting injury, and the statement expressed regret to them.
Last year, the mother of the deceased child was also sentenced to life in prison for the same crime.
DeShaun was found to be very underweight for his age, weighing in at just 18 pounds.
For a month, as their parents slept, the elder brother, who was seven years old at the time, and his younger brother were confined to the small bedroom closet for sixteen hours each day for stealing food.
Last year, Judge Ted Reed of the Coconino Superior Court criticized the children’s mother, Elizabeth Archibeque, calling her heinous, cruel, and depraved and stating that she should spend the rest of her natural life behind bars.
Judge Reed had acknowledged that the ex-mother of four seemed remorseful for what she had done before handing down the punishment. She said in a statement to the court that a part of her died when DeSahun passed away, and she grieves every day for what she had done.
The eldest son made it through, although he was just 28 pounds when the authorities discovered him and his sibling in March 2020. The two kids, ages 2 and 4, who were also in the couple’s care, were determined to be of average weight and healthy by the authorities.
The foster mom, who took in Deshaun’s siblings, claimed his brother was so anxious about eating that he would constantly beg for food (every five minutes) and had a tiny lunch box that he wouldn’t let go of.
