A Colorado mother is facing charges after authorities say she handed her 4-year-old son over to a friend for harsh “boot camp”-style punishment — resulting in the boy’s death following repeated beatings with a belt.

Destini Rose Lipsky, 23, allegedly gave 24-year-old Alexander Martinez-Armstrong — whom she considered like a “brother” — full permission to discipline her son for minor misbehaviors such as occasionally stealing candy and sneaking into her purse, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Denver Post.

Aurora police responded to an apartment on East Tennessee Avenue around 10 p.m. on May 16, 2026, after receiving a report of a young child who was unconscious and not breathing. Officers found the boy unresponsive, with visible injuries. He was rushed to Children’s Hospital Colorado, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the affidavit, Martinez-Armstrong admitted to police that he had been “disciplining” the child over several days using methods that included forcing him to practice writing numbers while striking his bare skin with a belt at least 21 times. The boy’s girlfriend told investigators she heard the child’s screams coming from the living room throughout the night.

The child reportedly had bruises “from head to toe.” Martinez-Armstrong told authorities that Saturday — the day the boy died — was his most “heavily disciplined” day.

Martinez-Armstrong was arrested and booked into the Aurora Municipal Detention Center on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. He remains held without bond.

Lipsky was later arrested in connection with the case for allegedly allowing the abuse to occur. Both suspects face serious felony charges as the investigation continues.

The horrific case has sparked outrage across Colorado, with many questioning how a mother could entrust her young child to such extreme “correction” methods for typical toddler behavior. The boy’s death is being mourned by the local community as another tragic example of child abuse hidden behind the guise of discipline.