An 81-year-old man who repeatedly committed sexual molestation against a young relative during her visits in Murrieta has pleaded guilty to three counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 and has been sentenced to five years in state prison.
Jesus Zavala admitted his guilt as part of a plea agreement just before his case was scheduled for a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. In exchange for his admission, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office dropped six related charges against Zavala.
Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson approved the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence agreed upon by the prosecution and the defense.
Zavala fled to Mexico when an investigation into the sexual acts against the girl, identified as “A.L.” in court documents, was initiated in early 2021.
According to the Murrieta Police Department, the victim disclosed in December 2021 that the defendant had molested her between 2018 and 2020, prompting an investigation by the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services and the police department.
The specific details regarding the sexual abuse and Zavala’s relationship to the victim were not disclosed.
Court documents stated that Zavala engaged in touching the victim’s private areas and rubbing her chest on multiple occasions.
Investigators collected enough evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for Zavala. However, before the warrant could be served, he fled to Mexico, where he remained to elude capture, according to the police department.
The circumstances leading to his return to the United States, where he was apprehended by Border Patrol agents at the Tecate Road Crossing on August 10, 2022, remain unknown. A few days later, he was handed over to Murrieta police officers based on the fugitive warrant and was booked into the Byrd Detention Center.
Zavala does not have any previously documented felony convictions in Riverside County.
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