A 34-year-old man who worked as a childcare worker was sentenced to 707 years in prison in California for sexually abusing more than a dozen minors.
Orange County Prosecutor's Office reported that Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski was convicted of sexually assaulting 16 boys (ranging in age from 2 to 12) while they were in his care and of showing child pornography to another minor with the intent to sexually abuse him.
The man filmed a large part of his crimes between January 2014 and May 2019, when his arrest took place.
Zakrzewski was intercepted about to fly abroad
Zakrzewski's arrest came after a Laguna Beach couple reported that their 8-year-old son was touched inappropriately. The man was detained shortly after at the airport as he was preparing to board an international flight.
Zakrzewski was initially charged with three felonies, but an investigation uncovered more victims and complaints from the public.
JUST IN: Male babysitter Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski has been sentenced to over 700 years in prison for sexually assaulting 16 boys in California, with victims as young as 2 years old. The charges include lewd acts, oral copulation, possession of child pornography, and more.… pic.twitter.com/vt9VR11jBC
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) November 20, 2023
The defendant, who called himself "the original Sitter Buddy" on his website, was convicted of 34 felonies, including lewd and obscene acts with minors, oral copulation with children under 10 years old, and possession of child pornography, among others. Zakrzewski was sentenced to 705 years to life in prison plus two years and eight months.
During the hearing, the victims' parents shared shocking testimonies about the suffering caused by Zakrzewski's crimes. The prosecutor highlighted the defendant's manipulation of teaching the victims to lie and hide secrets from their parents. The defense attorney argued that some evidence did not show harm, but the prosecutor stressed the seriousness of the crimes and the need for 34 guilty verdicts.
The case has left a deep mark on the affected families, who expressed their pain and repudiation of the aggressor, calling him a "predator" and a "manipulator." The sentence reflects the seriousness of the acts committed by Zakrzewski, who showed no remorse during the court hearing.
