"It is every parents' worst nightmare": Costa Mesa nanny convicted of molesting 16 boys
Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski, 34, of Costa Mesa was convicted Tuesday of 34 felony sex charges related to 17 victims in crimes that prosecutors said took place from 2014 through 2019. Prosecutors said he molested 16 boys and showed child pornography to another.
Zakrzewski was arrested May 17, 2019, by Laguna Beach Police as he deplaned from an international flight.
Prosecutors said he advertised that he worked with kids very well, had years of childcare experience, was CPR trained, and had background checks. Many of the victims were 6 to 9 years old, and the youngest was 2 years old.
"The entire book is in defendant's hard drive," Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver said during her closing argument of the trial Monday, referencing a pedophilia book on Zakrzewski's computer. "In it there's a chapter titled Hunting Season. ... When the defendant reached out to (one of his victims) saying `Let me be his occasional babysitter,' he was hunting (the boy). He was hunting every family in this case. ... He wasn't just reading the book, he could have written the book."
Oliver argued that the defendant videotaped much of the evidence against him. "He's as brazen as he can be," Oliver said.
"None of the parents knew each other," Oliver told the jury. "The children didn't know each other. ... The defendant was a mastermind ... grooming the parents to believe he was the perfect fit to protect each of the children. ... It is every parents' worst nightmare."
Jennifer Ryan of the Orange County Public Defender's Office argued that while her client was charged with showing pornography to some of the victims, photos depicting nudity and sex acts are not necessarily "harmful" matter as charged.
Oliver told the jury, "He deserves nothing short of 34 verdicts of guilt."
He faces a maximum of 690 years to life in prison when he's sentenced Nov. 17.
Related Link: Costa Mesa 'Manny' Charged With Molesting 2 Boys, 4 More Possible Victims Come Forward
