An Arizona mother has pleaded guilty to child abuse and murder charges this month after her son starved to death in 2020 when she locked him in a closet and denied him food, according to the Arizona Daily Sun.
Elizabeth Archibeque reached a plea agreement with prosecutors and will be sentenced over the summer after her 6-year-old son Deshaun Martinez died of starvation in March 2020. He weighed 18 pounds at the time of his death.
As PEOPLE previously reported, Archibeque, the boy's father (Anthony Martinez) and his grandmother (Ann Martinez) had all been charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and child abuse.
The three cases were being tried separately. Both Anthony and Ann have previously pled not guilty.
Archibeque will not be eligible for probation and if she is sentenced to life in prison, the Arizona Daily Sun reported, she will also not be eligible for parole or work release, per terms of her agreement.
The boy was initially found unresponsive in the family's Flagstaff apartment three years ago and died at the hospital, with a coroner ultimately determining that he died of starvation.
Arrest records previously obtained by Fox 10 News at the time alleged Deshaun and his 7-year-old brother were kept in a closet for about 16 hours a day at the time.
Authorities responded to the scene after receiving a 911 call in March 2020 about an unresponsive child before finding Deshaun lying on the floor and his sibling still in the closet.
The parents then allegedly told authorities that the pair would steal food at night and that Deshaun was dealing with a medical condition, and also allegedly claimed he had stolen diet pills. According to the Associated Press, the boy is reported to have had abrasions and bruises on his body, but those injuries were not life-threatening.
Both Deshaun and his sibling were malnourished to the point of not looking their ages, and two other children — a 4-year-old and 2-year-old — were found at the home, but were not malnourished. Deshaun's 7-year-old brother was brought to the Flagstaff Medical Center and placed in the Department of Child Safety’s custody with with the two younger children, NBC News reported at the time.
An autopsy previously noted that Deshaun historically had trouble gaining weight, and was 34 lbs. at age 4, but weighed only 18 lbs. when he died. Arrest records also alleged Elizabeth Archibeque told officers Deshaun did not gain weight despite being “fed a lot," and that Anthony Martinez said the family was on a budget and was waiting on food stamps.
In February 2013, DCS received a report of two different allegations of abuse toward one of the siblings, but both were unsubstantiated, DCS said in a statement to PEOPLE back in 2020. The case was closed when voluntary in-home services were completed in July of 2013, the statement said.
“DCS mourns the tragic loss of this innocent life. We can confirm the child’s siblings are currently in DCS care and are receiving the care and services necessary to help them during this difficult time,” the DCS said of the incident three years ago.
“Keeping children safe is the Department’s top priority. However, DCS cannot investigate child abuse and neglect unless we receive a report from the community.”
