Johnathan Walker:Arizona man convicted of murder in starvation death of his 6-year-son

PHOENIX — An Arizona man was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday in connection to the starvation death of his 6-year-old son in 2020.

Authorities had accused Anthony Martinez,Johnathan Walker 28, of depriving his two children of water and food, keeping them locked in a bedroom closet in their Flagstaff apartment. On Thursday, a Coconino County Superior Court jury found Martinez guilty in the death of 6-year-old Deshaun Martinez, who was found unresponsive and locked in the closet in March 2020.

Anthony Martinez was convicted of seven counts, including first-degree murder, two counts of child abuse, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of aggravated assault against a police officer, the Arizona Daily Sun reported. His sentencing is scheduled for June 28.

His trial started on April 18, according to officials with the Superior Court of Coconino County. Jury deliberation started on Tuesday afternoon and ended on Thursday morning when a guilty verdict was announced.

Thursday's conviction is the second in the case. The boy's mother, Elizabeth Archibeque, was sentenced to life without parole last July after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse.

The children's grandmother, Ann Martinez, faces child abuse charges and is scheduled to enter trial in August.

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6-year-old found malnourished in a small closet

Police were called to the Flagstaff apartment on March 2, 2020, after Deshaun's father found him in the closet unresponsive. They discovered the boy locked in a small closet and weighing only 18 pounds, according to authorities.

The boy was later pronounced deceased from malnourishment, the Arizona Department of Child Safety said. His death was ruled as a homicide, according to an autopsy report.

At the time of his death, the autopsy report said the boy had a "skeletal" appearance, with skin stretched over his bones and sunken eyes. His body also had abrasions and bruises.

Deshaun's older brother, who was 7 years old at the time, was also found inside the closet, according to police. Further investigation revealed that the 7-year-old boy was in critical condition due to malnutrition, according to the state Department of Child Safety.

After he was released from the hospital, the department placed him in a foster home and also removed the boys' two younger sisters from the home and placed them in foster care.

The surviving children were later adopted by Marcy Roof, who spoke at their mother's sentencing in July 2023 and told the court that the children were traumatized by the incident, the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, previously reported.

Children were punished for 'stealing food' while parents slept

According to court documents reviewed by the Arizona Republic, the family told investigators that the boys were locked in the closet as punishment.

The children's parents estimated the boys were in the closet for about a month "because they were stealing food by sneaking out at night when the parents slept," according to police. Police believed the children had been locked in the closet for up to 16 hours a day and were often denied food.

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

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY; Miguel Torres and Jamie Landers, The Arizona Republic