Allysen Armenta, 28, an Idaho mother accused of suffocating her 12-day-old infant son while co-sleeping and then attempting to pass off the death as sudden infant death syndrome, has pleaded guilty to more serious charges than initially planned after a legal issue emerged during what was supposed to be her original plea hearing.
Background
According to court documents obtained by KTVB, Armenta and the child's father, Brian Lemke, 32, exchanged text messages with each other following their son Benjamin's death rather than immediately contacting emergency responders. The couple claimed they discovered the infant unconscious in a bassinet on Dec. 16, 2025.
Nampa police responded to a 911 call from Lemke around 3:32 a.m. that morning at a property in the 300 block of Lone Star Road. However, investigators later determined the infant actually died inside a "filthy" trailer on the property filled with trash, food, dirt, cigarettes and animal feces before being moved into the house where Lemke reported the death.
Armenta was found hiding in a camp trailer in the backyard when officers arrived at the scene. She was taken into custody on an unrelated out-of-county warrant.
During her initial scheduled plea hearing on July 30, Armenta was explaining how she co-slept with the infant and admitting to keeping the child in conditions "unfit for living" when Judge Thomas Witney abruptly stopped the proceedings, according to KBOI. The judge announced a recess, telling the courtroom he needed to speak with attorneys about what he described as a legal issue requiring additional research.
The Charges
A half-hour after adjourning, Judge Witney returned and rescheduled the hearing for an updated plea deal.
When Armenta appeared at her rescheduled hearing, she pleaded guilty to three felony counts: one count of injury to a child and two counts of destruction of evidence. The two destruction of evidence charges were entered as Alford pleas, meaning she maintains her innocence while acknowledging prosecutors have sufficient evidence to convict her.
She had initially been scheduled to plead guilty to failure to notify authorities and one count of injury to a child, with destruction of evidence and resisting arrest charges expected to be dropped under the original plea agreement.
Lemke, who was sentenced in late July to between six and 15 years in a state correctional facility after pleading guilty to failure to report a death and destruction of evidence, also faced accusations that he misdirected investigators about where his son actually died.
Court records indicate both Armenta and Lemke have multiple prior convictions for injuring children in Idaho. The couple had other children removed from their home in recent years and placed in foster care due to hazardous living conditions, KTVB reports.
Key Takeaways
- Allysen Armenta pleaded guilty to one count of injury to a child and two counts of destruction of evidence (Alford pleas) after her original plea hearing was interrupted by a legal issue
- The 12-day-old infant, Benjamin "Benji," allegedly suffocated while co-sleeping with his mother in a trailer described as filled with trash, dirt, cigarettes and animal feces
- Armenta and the child's father Brian Lemke texted each other after their son's death instead of immediately calling police
- Both parents have prior convictions for injuring children in Idaho; other children from the home were placed in foster care due to hazardous conditions
- Lemke was sentenced in late July to six to 15 years in prison for failure to report a death and destruction of evidence
What's Next
Armenta is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 3 before Judge Thomas Witney in Canyon County District Court. The specific sentence she will face remains to be determined at that hearing.