Tampa Florida Army Veteran From MacDill Airforce Base Derek Zitko Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Abuse

In a case investigated by the I-Team at Tampa Bay 28 (WFTS), Derek Zitko, a 53-year-old retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, father, husband, church leader, soccer coach, and former foster parent, was sentenced to 8 years in prison in Hillsborough County, Florida, in January 2025.

He pleaded guilty on January 14 to one count of lewd or lascivious battery and one count of lewd or lascivious molestation involving a child.

The victim, Lauren Estrada Munson (now in her mid-20s), was just 13 years old when the abuse began in 2012. Zitko was 40 at the time. The abuse occurred over several months in Hillsborough County after the Zitko family moved into Munson’s neighborhood during the summer of 2012. Both families homeschooled their children, which quickly led to a close friendship between the families.

The Grooming and Abuse Begin

Munson described the abuse starting innocently at a family gathering at her house while watching Sunday football games. Zitko sat in her father’s usual spot on the couch, and she lay down next to him as she often did with her dad—all in front of both sets of parents, all eight children, and others. It appeared completely innocent in public.

The situation escalated during Spring Break that year when both families rented a cabin in the mountains. Every night they watched movies together, but one evening, after everyone else had gone to sleep, Zitko pulled Munson onto his lap and said, “I feel like I just want to kiss you right now,” then kissed her on the lips—not a peck on the cheek or forehead. Munson later told deputies in body camera footage that this was her first kiss, something she had imagined sharing in high school, but it was taken from her by an adult.

Ongoing Communication and Escalation

After the trip, communication intensified through game apps on their phones. Zitko instructed Munson to find a private spot in her backyard—surrounded by woods—lay out a blanket, and bring pillows for “privacy.” He told her that if anyone asked why he was up at 3–4 a.m., he would say he was going for a run. He also gave her his SoCom email address from MacDill Air Force Base, where much of the communication occurred. The emails were often detailed and explicit; Munson estimated there were hundreds, though only two or three survived because most were deleted. She turned those over to police.

During sleepovers at the Zitko family home, Zitko would wake Munson at 1 or 2 a.m. and take her into the closet of his master bedroom, where the sexual abuse escalated further. He used classic grooming tactics, repeatedly telling her things like:

• “You’re so special.”
• “You’re wise beyond your years.”
• “You have the body of a 20-year-old.”
• “I have the body of a 20-year-old.”

These comments were meant to justify the abuse in her young mind. Munson later reflected to I-Team reporter Kylie McGivern that she only realized years later it was abuse. Looking back at a photo of herself at 13, she cried, saying she clearly did not look 20. The abuse continued for several months while she was still 13.

The Catalyst: A Facebook Message 10+ Years Later

More than a decade passed. In roughly 2023 (about two years before she reported it), Zitko sent Munson a Facebook message after his daughter—who had been a bridesmaid in Munson’s wedding—mentioned that Munson was pregnant. The message read:

“…CONGRATULATIONS! I am SO HAPPY for you! You will be an amazing mama.”

Munson replied:

“My number one goal as a mom is to make sure that my kids never meet somebody like you. Please don’t ever message me again. You don’t deserve to have any part of my life or information about my children.”

This message triggered something profound in Munson. She said it made her “so angry” and turned her into a “Mama Bear” because of her unborn daughter. She finally told her mother the full story she had kept secret for over 10 years. Her mom responded that it was not her fault, that she was brave, and that she was glad she had come forward. Munson then asked her mom to tell her father. The next morning, her dad hugged her and said:

“It’s not your burden anymore. And I take it from you, it’s mine now.”

Her father’s question—”What if you’re not the only one?”—pushed her to report it. Munson and her husband went to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) to file a police report—the first time she had ever told the entire story in full detail.

The Police Report and InvestigationIn body camera footage provided to the I-Team, Munson recounted the events to a deputy, who was visibly supportive. He told her:

“I’m going to be very professional with you and try to keep all my emotions out of this, OK, but—not your fault. You did nothing wrong. I want you to know that, OK? You were a kid. Just a kid.”

Munson was 12 when the Zitkos moved in during the summer of 2012 and turned 13 in August. She shared her story publicly to encourage other survivors, saying:

“There was so much weighing on this secret. That is not my burden. And it never was. And it was his.”

She added that she wanted her own children to know they could always come to her if something bad happened—just as her mom had always told her.

Detectives arranged a recorded 30-minute phone call between Munson and Zitko. Key excerpts include:

• Munson: “Why me? Why did you choose me?”
• Zitko: “I—I didn’t, I didn’t choose you. Which, uh, well, here’s—what I say, listen, based on our ages, um, I take fault for everything. I do take fault for everything. Um, but I, but that said, I—I felt like, I felt like we chose each other.”
• When Munson described the sexual acts: Zitko said, “It never should have happened,” and “It never was intentional.”
• Munson: “I don’t know how you can say it wasn’t intentional. Like it was just a one time thing though. Like, it was multiple, multiple times.”
• Zitko: “I know, but that’s what I’m saying. One time on the track, like, it’s like what, uh, you were there, like, you opened the door, you know, like, it’s like, like a craving.”
• Munson: “How am I supposed to know that I’m the only one and that you’re not having sex with any other kids?”
• Zitko: “Oh, I would—Lauren, because you’re not any other kid. Because it wasn’t intentional. Because you—you’re unique.”

Munson told the I-Team that this was the same manipulative language he had always used. Detectives listening in reacted with excitement (“YES!”) and threw their hands up. Munson put her head in her hands, feeling the weight finally lift, knowing action would be taken.

Detectives later met Zitko at an Einstein Bagels parking lot. In the recorded conversation (also in court records), Zitko admitted:

“…things that shouldn’t have ever happened. I’m ashamed, I’m deeply ashamed of those.”

He added:

“It was in my control.”

When the detective pressed: “It was in your control?” Zitko replied, “It was just—,” and the detective followed up: “Ok. So you could have stopped it?” Zitko answered:

“Of course, I’m the adult, right?”

Zitko eventually turned himself in.

Court Outcome and Reactions

Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez praised Munson’s courage:

“Thanks, Lauren. Thank you for speaking out and speaking up and speaking on behalf of so many 13, 14-year-old girls who are going through the same thing right now. You’ve given them a voice. You gave yourself, your 13-year-old self a voice, and I’m so incredibly proud and I’m honored that my team was able to get justice for you.”

Lopez noted that not every case with a delayed report results in conviction due to lack of physical evidence, but she urged survivors to come forward, saying her office and law enforcement would support them through the process.

Munson hopes her story helps others heal:

“They say the truth will set you free, and that is exactly how it’s been for me. You can come out the other end. And I just think a big part of that healing process is verbalizing what happened.”

Zitko’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

The article includes multiple visuals: photos of Lauren Estrada Munson, body camera footage of her police report, a video of her recounting telling her parents, and a full I-Team report video.

This case highlights the long-term impact of child sexual abuse, the power of survivor courage years later, and the critical role of family support and law enforcement in securing justice.

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