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A mother has pleaded guilty to murder and child abuse over the death of her six-year-old son in Arizona.

Elizabeth Archibeque, 26, reached a plea deal with prosecutors this month and could face life in prison under the first-degree murder charge.

Her son, Deshaun Martinez, had been locked inside a small bedroom closet without food until he died in March 2020, reported the Arizona Daily Sun.

A post-mortem found the child starved to death.

When he died, he weighed just 18lbs (8.1kg) – which is well below average for his age.

The boy had a “skeletal appearance” because he had almost no fat on his body.

Archibeque was charged along with the boy’s father, Anthony Martinez, and his grandmother, Ann Martinez. The cases were being tried separately.

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

Eventually, they told police they kept Deshaun and his older brother in a closet in their Flagstaff apartment for 16 hours a day and gave them little to eat. The brother survived.

Police said the youngsters were confined there as punishment for stealing food while the parents slept.

Anthony Martinez. Pic: AP
Image:
Anthony Martinez. Pic: AP

The adults told officers that Deshaun had been in the closet for “about a month”.

Both Anthony Martinez and Ann Martinez reportedly have previously pleaded not guilty.

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According to the terms of the plea agreement, Archibeque will not be eligible for probation.

She will be sentenced in the coming weeks.

If she gets life, she will not be eligible for any kind of parole.

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PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray dies aged 30

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PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray dies aged 30

Professional golfer Grayson Murray has died aged 30, the PGA Tour has said.

The American, a two-time tour winner who was number 58 in the world ranking, withdrew late in his second round at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, citing an illness.

“We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that PGA Tour player Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.

“The PGA Tour is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same. We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.”

Mr Monahan said he had spoken to Murray’s parents to offer his condolences and they asked that the tournament continue.

“They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so,” he said. “As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”

Murray, who had dealt with alcohol and mental issues in the past, made a massive turnaround this year and to win the Sony Open at Honolulu in January, ending a six-year winless drought.

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Grayson Murray after winning the Sony Open in January. Pic: AP
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Grayson Murray after winning the Sony Open in January. Pic: AP

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“Yeah, my parents have been through, you know, hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff,” Murray said at the time.

“It’s not easy on me, and the people around me that love me, they don’t like to see me down. They’ve been my number one supporters.

“There’s a few friends as well that have been there and it makes these moments a lot more special.”

Murray won his first PGA Tour title, the Barbasol Championship, in 2017.

His management company, GSE Worldwide, said in a statement: “We will hold off on commenting until we learn further details, but our heart aches for his family, his friends and all who loved him during this very difficult time.”

Murray, from Raleigh, in North Carolina, was a three-time winner of the Callaway Junior Championships and played in the US Open for the first time in 2013 as an amateur.

His best result in a major was a tie for 22nd at the 2017 PGA Championship.

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Uvalde school shooting: Families of victims sue Meta, Call Of Duty makers and gun company

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Uvalde school shooting: Families of victims sue Meta, Call Of Duty makers and gun company

The families of some of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting have announced new legal action against three companies they say effectively helped to “train” the gunman to carry out the attack.

Legal action against Instagram parent company Meta Platforms, the maker of the video game series Call Of Duty and the company that made the gun used in the May 2022 shooting was announced on the two-year anniversary of the attack in Texas in the US.

Salvador Ramos, 18, killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on 24 May 2022.

The new legal cases accuse the companies of partnering to promote and create content designed to glorify combat, gun violence and killing.

Memorial crosses stand in front of Robb Elementary School, as U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announces the results of a review into the law enforcement response to a 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, U.S., January 18, 2024. REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee Beal
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Pic: Reuters

Josh Koskoff, a lawyer for the families, called the companies a “three-headed monster” that “knowingly exposed [the gunman] to the weapon, conditioned him to see it as a tool to solve his problems and trained him to use it”.

“There is a direct line between the conduct of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” Mr Koskoff said.

According to the lawsuits, Ramos had played versions of Call Of Duty since he was 15, including one that allowed him to effectively practise with the version of the rifle he used at the school.

It claimed the company created a “hyperrealistic” game where “although the killing is virtual, the weapons are authentic – they are designed to perfectly imitate their real-life counterparts in look, feel, recoil and accuracy”.

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‘Failures’ in Uvalde school shooting

The legal action claims Instagram does little to enforce rules that ban marketing firearms and harmful content to children.

It also accuses gunmakers Daniel Defense of using the social media platform to help “extol the illegal, murderous use of its weapons”.

Some of the same families also filed a $500m (£392m) lawsuit against Texas state police officials and officers who responded to the shooting but waited more than an hour to confront Ramos inside the classroom as students and teachers lay dead, dying or wounded.

‘Baseless accusations’

Call Of Duty makers, Activision, called the shooting “horrendous and heartbreaking in every way”.

The company added its “deepest sympathies” for the “families and communities who remain impacted by this senseless act of violence”.

But it added: “Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts.”

Activision's Call Of Duty on sale at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011. Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. said Wednesday that its second-quarter net income grew, boosted by strong demand for digital offerings such as downloadable content for its popular "Call of Duty" games. Activision earned $335 million, or 29 cents per share, in the April-June period. That's up 53 percent from $219 million, or 17 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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Activision called the shooting ‘horrendous and heartbreaking in every way’. Pic: AP

The Entertainment Software Association – a video game industry trade group – also said it was “outraged by senseless acts of violence” but pushed back on blaming games for violence, arguing research has found no link.

“We discourage baseless accusations linking these tragedies to video gameplay, which detract from efforts to focus on the root issues in question and safeguard against future tragedies,” the group said.

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Robb Elementary shooting survivors Amy Franco, left, Arnulfo "Arnie" Reyes, center, stand with other survivors and community members at the town square on Friday morning, May 24, 2024, in Uvalde, Texas. The former Robb Elementary School educators waved orange flags signifying gun violence awareness to commemorate the 21 victims of the shooting ... 19 fourth-graders and two teachers ... who died two years ago Friday. (Sam Owens/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)
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Survivors and community members at Uvalde town square on Friday morning. Pic: AP

Daniel Defense and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

This is not the first legal action to be brought over the shooting.

In December 2022, a group of different plaintiffs filed a separate lawsuit against local and state police, the city, and other school and law enforcement, which seeks at least $27bn (£21bn) and class-action status for survivors.

At least two other lawsuits have also been filed against Daniel Defense.

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To mark the two-year anniversary of the shooting, community members in Uvalde planned a vigil for those killed.

In a letter, President Joe Biden said: “As we mark this solemn day, may we pray for those we lost, their loved ones, and all those who were wounded.”

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Judge rejects Alec Baldwin’s request to dismiss charge over Rust shooting

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Judge rejects Alec Baldwin's request to dismiss charge over Rust shooting

A judge has rejected a request by Alec Baldwin to dismiss his criminal charge relating to the fatal shooting on the set of Rust.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer upheld an indictment charging Baldwin with one count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, in 2021.

The New Mexico judge rejected defence arguments that prosecutors flouted the rules of grand jury proceedings to divert attention away from exculpatory evidence and witnesses.

Halyna Hutchins.
Pic:Shutterstock
Image:
Halyna Hutchins. Pic: Shutterstock

Prosecutors denied the accusations and said Baldwin made “shameless” attempts to escape culpability, highlighting contradictions in his statements to law enforcement, to workplace safety regulators, and in a television interview.

Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.

His lawyers said after Friday’s judgement: “We look forward to our day in court.”

The 66-year-old’s trial has been scheduled to start in July.

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During a rehearsal on the set of the Western film, Baldwin pointed a gun at Hutchins when the revolver went off, killing her and injuring director Joel Souza.

The actor has maintained that he pulled back the gun’s hammer but not the trigger.

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