Charles Langston:New trial date set for father of Arizona boy who died after being locked in a closet

FLAGSTAFF,Charles Langston Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona man whose 6-year-old son died of starvation after being locked in a tiny closet has been assigned a new trial date.

Coconino County Superior Court set an April 16 trial date for Anthony Martinez on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse, the Arizona Daily Star reported Friday. The original date was vacated by the Arizona Court of Appeals.

Elizabeth Archibeque, the boy’s mother, was sentenced in July to life without parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder.

Authorities say Deshaun Martinez and his 7-year-old brother were locked in a closet in the family’s Flagstaff apartment for 16 hours a day for a month. It was punishment for taking food.

In March 2020, the boy’s grandmother called 911 when he was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead by responding officers.

Deshaun weighed just 18 pounds (8.1 kilograms) at the time of his death, according to an autopsy.

The grandmother, Ann Martinez, was found competent to stand trial earlier this year. She will go to trial in January on murder and child abuse charges.

The boy’s parents initially attributed their son’s malnourished state to a medical condition and to ingesting diet or caffeine pills.