OC trial begins for former nanny accused of molesting 17 young boys under his care

Opening statements in the child molestation case against a former Southern California nanny accused of sexually abusing or attempting to sexually abuse young boys under his care started on Thursday inside an Orange County courtroom.

Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski allegedly committed various acts of child molestation between January 2014 and May 2019. The 17 victims ranged in ages from 2 to 12 years old.

The Costa Mesa man faces 34 felony counts, including 27 felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14, one felony count of oral copulation of a child under the age of 10, and one felony count of possession of child pornography.

During opening statements, Orange County District Attorney Prosecutor Juliet Oliver said families believed Zakrzewski was trustworthy and would protect their children.

Oliver said Zakrzewski advertised his work online as a babysitter, nanny or caregiver and said he worked well with young boys.

However, Oliver said Zakrzewski used his business to target his victims.

A 30-year-old man who worked as a nanny across Southern California is accused of molesting two young boys who were under his care, officials announced Wednesday.

She said in May 2019, the first victim, identified as John Doe #1, an 8-year-old boy from Laguna Beach, told his mom about what had allegedly happened with Zakrzewski while under his care.

Zakrzewski was out of the country when Joe Doe #1 came forward but he was arrested at LAX after flying back from Spain.

Through their investigation, authorities recovered thousands of images and videos linking Zakrzewski to 16 more alleged victims.

In her opening statements, Zakrzewski's defense attorney, Jennifer Ryan, told jurors evidence in this case may be too graphic.

Ryan asked the jury to measure the intent behind the evidence clinically to determine if anything illegal happened.

She told them this trial is a marathon and not a sprint. Ryan said jurors can't rush the judgment.

John Doe #1 and his mom both took the witness stand during the first day of the trial and detailed how they got to know Zakzrewski.

The victim's mother said she hired Zakrzewski to care for her t8-year-old child through one of his several babysitting websites.

She said the allegations against him only came to light after having a conversation with her son about safety around strangers and what is considered appropriate and inappropriate.

Zakrewski's trial is set to resume on Monday at 9 a.m. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 690 years in prison.