COCONINO COUNTY, ARIZONA: Elizabeth Archibeque, 26, an Arizona mother has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering and abusing her six-year-old son Deshaun Martinez. The child died of starvation in March 2020.
Archibeque pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse on Thursday, July 27. She admitted to locking Deshaun and his older brother, then seven years old, in a tiny closet for up to 16 hours a day for a month, and denying them food, Arizona Republic reported.
Who is Elizabeth Archibeque?
Elizabeth Archibeque claimed that she did this as a punishment to the boys for stealing food from the fridge while she and her husband Anthony Jose Archibeque-Martinez, 27, were asleep. Her mother, Ann Marie Martinez, 53, who also lived in the house, reportedly participated in the abuse. When police arrived at the home in Flagstaff, Arizona, they found Deshaun unresponsive and weighing only 18 pounds, the size of an average one-year-old. His body showed signs of severe malnutrition and injuries. His brother was also found in the closet which was so small that it was smaller than a doormat. Roof, who adopted Deshaun’s brother and two sisters, detailed what it was like to bring his seven-year-old brother back from the point of death. “At 37 pounds and a size four, our mother and son bond began,” she said, “His arms and legs were so tiny –the size of a broom handle.”
'Deshaun was murdered'
The two girls in the family, aged four and two at the time, appeared healthy and well-cared for. “On the other side of the closet were his two younger sisters who were not being punished like the boys but witnessed the severe abuse,” Roof said. She said Deshaun’s sister who was five didn't speak for three years. However, the younger sister recounted all that she saw. “Some of the details that have come out of such a young child have sent shimmered shivers down my spine,” Roof had said. She further said that even as "Deshaun was murdered. But his death saved three other children." The boy's parents, Elizabeth Archibeque and Anthony Martinez and his grandmother Ann Martinez were all charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and child abuse charges in his death.
'I fully accept what is given to me'
Archibeque’s attorney Christine Brown argued that Archibeque was a victim of domestic violence and coercion by her husband who did not allow her to interact with the boys as she did with the girls. Archibeque briefly spoke in court and said that she blamed herself for her son’s death and wished she had removed him from the abusive situation. She also apologized to her surviving children and asked for their forgiveness. “I thank Marcy Roof for giving them that I couldn’t and I think a part of me died with my beautiful child,” she said, “Because of that, I fully accept what is given to me though it will never come close to how I feel.” Archibeque’s husband and mother are facing separate trials for murder and child abuse. Ann Martinez’s trial is scheduled for January 2024 while Anthony Martinez’s trial date has not been set yet.
