Date: May 28, 2023

Flagstaff, Arizona – In a heartbreaking case that has shocked the community, an Arizona mother has pleaded guilty to murder and child abuse charges following the tragic death of her 6-year-old son. Elizabeth Archibeque reached a plea agreement with prosecutors earlier this month, as reported by the Arizona Daily Sun on Saturday.

The terms of the plea agreement stipulate that Archibeque will not be eligible for probation. If sentenced to life in prison, she will also be denied any form of parole or work release. The charges against her were filed alongside the boy’s father, Anthony Martinez, and grandmother, Ann Martinez, although the cases are being tried separately.

The devastating incident occurred in March 2020 when the lifeless body of Deshaun Martinez was discovered. An autopsy later revealed that the cause of death was starvation. Shockingly, the child weighed a mere 18 pounds at the time, significantly below the average weight for his age. Upon further investigation, authorities learned that the boy had been confined to a closet and deliberately deprived of food.

During police interviews, both the mother and father, as well as the grandmother, admitted that the two boys, aged 6 and 7, were frequently locked in a closet and rarely allowed outside the confines of their home. The parents justified their cruel actions by claiming that the children had been stealing food by sneaking out at night while they slept.

It was determined that both children were severely malnourished and did not appear to be the appropriate weight for their ages. The 7-year-old sibling was immediately admitted to Flagstaff Medical Center and is currently in the custody of the Department of Child Safety.

Authorities also discovered two other children, a 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old, within the household. Fortunately, these children were not malnourished, and the 4-year-old regularly attended school. All four children are biologically related to Jose and Elizabeth Archibeque-Martinez, according to investigators. The Department of Child Safety had not previously visited the home for an investigation.

Investigators are now conducting interviews with family members and neighbors to determine if anyone was aware of the abuse and, if so, for how long. Given the close-knit nature of the community, authorities find it unusual that such extreme abuse could have gone unnoticed.

As part of the ongoing investigation, detectives executed a search warrant at the residence. Meanwhile, a medical examiner is working diligently to determine the exact cause of death for the 6-year-old victim.

Anthony Jose Archibeque-Martinez, 23, Elizabeth Archibeque-Martinez, 26, and Ann Marie Martinez, 50, are currently being held at the Coconino County Jail on one count each of first-degree felony homicide and two counts each of child abuse, according to a statement released by the Flagstaff Police Department. This devastating case serves as a somber reminder of the urgency to protect and safeguard the well-being of all children.

Credits: NBC News

With trial scheduled to begin only nine days later, charges of child sex abuse against Robert Koenig, 63, were dismissed at the prosecution’s request, motivated by the discovery of new evidence following Mr. Koenig’s indictment some six months earlier.

Mr. Koenig faced two counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of rape under that indictment. Those charges stemmed from Koenig’s role as a foster parent, a role he and his wife had shared for five years by the time Mr. Koenig was first charged.

When it learned of the abuse allegations, the official licensing agency, Lucas County Children Services, began the process of removing the Koenigs from the foster care program. The Koenigs, however, withdrew voluntarily before that removal process was completed.

Mr. Koenig had been a teacher for the Toledo Public Schools from 1975 to 2010, spending most of his career in middle schools. He worked as a substitute teacher in that school system for three years until his retirement in 2013.

According to Frank Spryszak, the assistant county prosecutor who sought the dismissal, his action was driven by the discovery of new evidence “that put us in a position that we no longer felt that we had sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.”

Lorin Zaner, the attorney defending Mr. Koenig, describes himself as a leading child sexual conduct with a minor lawyer with a particular interest in false abuse allegations. He said that the dismissal came as a great relief to his client. “We had the documentation to show that there’s no way our guy could’ve done what they said,” he said.

At the same time, he called attention to the negative consequences of the allegations for Mr. and Mrs. Koenig, a state of affairs that may be familiar to him as a sex crimes lawyer. “They truly had a desire to help children. To be in a position of being falsely accused because you put yourself out there to help children is a tragedy because these are good people. Their names are drug through the mud. Why do you want to put yourself in that position? It’s terrible.”

Mr. Koenig had pleaded not guilty to the charges, and he had been released on $300,000 bond after appearing before Court of Common Pleas Judge Ruth Ann Franks, the same judge who later heard the prosecution’s request to dismiss all charges.

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Arizona mother pleads guilty to murder child abuse

New Evidence Leads to Dismissal of Child Sex Abuse Charges