The man accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old New Jersey girl with whom he played online video games thought that he was saving her from an "unhealthy and unstable" home life, according to his attorney.
With his arms and legs in cuffs, Darius Matylewich appeared in court Friday on charges of kidnapping the child on Sept. 10, taking her from Wayne to his home in Bear, Delaware. The judge ordered that the 27-year-old remain in custody before his trial.
Matylewich showed no emotion in the courtroom as defense attorney Jillian Elko made the case the victim had asked for help escaping what she said was an abusive home.
"The alleged victim never reports being afraid. She was provided my client’s cell phone the entire time. When she was hungry, my client got her food at Dunkin’ Donuts," said Elko.
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The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office said Matylewich's behavior was "escalating." He met the girl virtually while playing the video game "Dead By Daylight," in which one player takes on the role of killer and others play survivors. Matylewich apparently let her character live during one of those games, which kicked off their communication.
The two continued to chat on multiple social media channels and online gaming platforms, including Roblox, which allows players to create and play games created by other users. A spokesperson for Roblox previously said the suspect and victim did not initially meet or interact on the platform, but rather they started talking on another site or platform and continued talking while playing Roblox.
Eventually, Matylewich visited the victim and they went on walks near her Paterson home, according to Assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Jessica Petrella. She added that Matylewich later drove the girl 135 miles to his Delaware home, after picking her up near the intersection of Route 46 and Old Turnpike Road.
"A 27-year old man, a grown adult man, picked up an 11-year-old and transported her across state lines," said Petrella.
Matylewich’s defense attorney said he was trying to help the child, whom he believed to be 13. The girl apparently told him that she was going to run away. At 5:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning, he picked her up, along with her cat, from the Wayne hotel where her family was living.
"My client said that is a bad idea, you should not be running away, and she begged my client to come pick her up to get her out of an unhealthy and unstable living situation," said Elko. "He asked her repeatedly if she wanted to go back, if her mother would be concerned."
The prosecution noted that an 11-year old is too young to give consent to leave her family with a 27-year old man. Petrella questioned that if Matylewich really believed he was helping her, why he hadn't taken her to the police or tell them he had her when they called him that morning.
"The defendant did not say he knew he knew her whereabouts, he said that he was familiar with her and hadn’t seen her in some time, he didn’t know where she was," said Petrella. "It was absolutely an attempt to conceal her whereabouts."
The defense attorney cited a police report that says the girl was found within four hours of leaving her family, unharmed, and suffered no physical or sexual abuse.
Matylewich was arrested the same day the girl was reported missing. He was extradited to New Jersey where he was charged with first-degree kidnapping and third-degree child endangerment. If convicted on the kidnapping charge alone, Matylewich faces between 10 and 30 years in prison.
Anyone with additional information about this incident or other incidents regarding Matylewich is asked to contact the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office on their tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO.
