Trial underway for Costa Mesa babysitter accused of molesting 17 boys

A 34-year-old child care service provider well-loved by his clients would play in the nude with some of the 17 boys — ages 2 to 14 — he is charged with molesting over five years, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday while the defendant’s attorney asked jurors to keep an open mind and not make a rush to judgment.

Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski of Costa Mesa faces 34 felony sex charges related to 17 victims from 2014 through 2019, Deputy Dist. Atty. Juliet Oliver said.

“They thought he was trustworthy,” Oliver said. “They thought he would protect their children. ... They thought he would be the best child care provider for their children. ... They vetted him. ... He advertised that he worked with kids very well. He advertised he had years of child care experience... that he was CPR trained ... and had background checks.”

Zakrzewski also touted his work with children with behavioral disabilities, the prosecutor said.

“You’re going to learn how the defendant — under the guise of providing the best child care — committed the most heinous of acts on these children,” Oliver said.

On the surface, the defendant “was fun, he was great. He went on adventures” with all of the boys, Oliver said.

One of the boys was 2 to 3 years old when he was allegedly molested, and another was 13 to 14 years old, Oliver said. Many of the others were 6 to 9 years old, she said.

The boys are from 16 families, with two being twins, the prosecutor said.

Some of the parents were enticed to hire him because of the “positive reviews” from other families, Oliver said. But behind the scenes, “the defendant encouraged naked play ... and played nakedly with” the children, Oliver said.

Jurors will view interviews investigators arranged between the children and social workers to discuss the conduct, Oliver said.

“Some will describe what happened not even knowing it was wrong,” Oliver said.

The mother of one accuser who was the first to come forward to authorities testified that she became acquainted with someone who was a victim of child abuse, prompting her to ask her son some questions one evening that alarmed her enough to go to the police in May 2019.

Oliver said it “unraveled the entire facade.”

The investigator assigned to the case quickly became aware of another boy who made a complaint to police in Los Angeles but wasn’t forthcoming with social workers, Oliver said. They decided to have the boy interviewed again, and more details emerged, the prosecutor said.

Zakrzewski, who was out of the country while police were searching his home for evidence, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport, Oliver said. Police searched his phone and found evidence of videos he made with other alleged victims that will be considered by jurors, Oliver said.

“I know it will be a difficult [trial] to sit through,” Oliver said.

Zakrzewski’s attorney, Jennifer Ryan of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, implored jurors “to be clinical and precise” while evaluating the evidence.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” she said. “You cannot rush to judgment.”