81-Year-Old Man Sentenced After Molesting Young Relative In Murrieta

MURRIETA, CA — An 81-year-old man who repeatedly sexually molested a young relative when she stayed with him in Murrieta pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old and was immediately sentenced to five years in state prison.

Jesus Zavala admitted the felony counts under a plea agreement just as his case was set for a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. In exchange for his admissions, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office dropped six related charges against Zavala.

Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

Zavala fled to Mexico when an investigation into the lewd acts on the girl, identified in court documents only as "A.L.," was initiated early last year.

According to a Murrieta Police Department statement, the victim revealed 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 circumstances behind the sexual abuse, and Zavala's exact relationship to the victim, were not disclosed.

Court papers said that he fondled her privates and rubbed her chest on different occasions.

Investigators said sufficient evidence was gathered to obtain a warrant for Zavala's arrest.

However, before it could be served, he "fled to Mexico, where he remained and avoided capture," according to the police department.

It's unknown what led him to return to the United States, where he was apprehended by Border Patrol agents at the Tecate Road Crossing on Aug. 10, 2022. He was turned over to Murrieta police officers a few days later based on the fugitive warrant and booked into the Byrd Detention Center.

Zavala had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.