A 34-year-old child care service provider accused of molesting 17 boys — ages 2 to 14 — had the “pedophile handbook” in his “hard drive” as he “hunted his prey,” a prosecutor argued Monday as the defendant’s attorney questioned the prosecution’s legal theory.
Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski of Costa Mesa faces 34 felony sex charges related to 17 victims from 2014 through 2019, Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver said.
“The entire book is in defendant’s hard drive,” Oliver said of a book on pedophilia. “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,” with the toddler, Oliver said.
In one of the videos a victim was seen lying on him nude as the defendant “caressed” him to “normalize” the molestation, Oliver argued.
Zakrzewski is seen in another video touching himself with a boy in his lap, the prosecutor argued. When he finished, the defendant allegedly said, “Thank you,” Oliver said, adding, “There are no words.”
With one of the boys he played a game the defendant called “rocket ship” with the victim on his lap and declared, “It feels like we’re having sex,” Oliver argued.
“All of this was videotaped,” she argued.
“None of the parents knew each other,” Oliver said. “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 thee children… It is every parents’ worst nightmare.”
Zakrzewski touted his work with children with behavioral disabilities and advertised that he had years of experience, was CPR trained and had background checks, Oliver said.
Many of the victims were 6 to 9 years old, the prosecutor said.
Jennifer Ryan of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office argued that while her client is charged with showing pornography to some of the victims she said that photos depicting nudity and sex acts are not necessarily “harmful” matter as charged.
“Each charge has separate laws, separate guides,” she cautioned jurors.
She rebutted one charge of her client directing a dog to lick the private parts of one of the victims, saying there was no evidence of Zakrzewski directing the canine to do that act.
“Cameras are running all the time,” she said. “But they want you to believe something that was not depicted happened… That is not in evidence.”
Ryan also argued that some of the evidence in the trial showed “two kids running around” in their underwear.
“That’s not harmful material,” she argued. “Sometimes kids run around without their clothes… There’s nothing wrong with a little boy running around in shorts… That’s not against the law.”
Ryan also argued that one of the videos “simulated” an oral sex act.
“Simulating,” Oliver responded. “That’s absolutely outrageous and an insult to your intelligence. It was on video.”
The mother of the child also testified about her son told her about the incident, Oliver added.
“Any contact, however slight, is sufficient” for a conviction, Oliver argued.
As for the videos in the case, Oliver said there was such a staggering volume of them investigators never event went through all of them.
“There was no suggestion — by me or anyone else — that cameras were running all the time,” Oliver said. “Do not let defendant’s arguments fool you… He deserves nothing short of 34 verdicts of guilt.”
Jurors will begin deliberating Tuesday.