A Denver cardiologist was found guilty Tuesday of drugging and sexually assaulting nearly a dozen women.
A Denver jury on Tuesday morning found 36-year-old Stephen Matthews guilty on 35 felony counts of assault and sexual assault involving 11 victims.
“Stephen Matthews took advantage of nearly a dozen women in the most egregious way imaginable, and for that he will now pay a significant price,” Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said in a statement Tuesday. “I hope today’s verdict provides a measure of comfort to all the victims.”
Matthews was arrested in March 2023 for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman on a date in Denver, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
Later that year, Matthews was arrested for a second time after nine more women came forward, reporting that they met Matthews online and — after agreeing to meet for drinks — were taken back to his home and served drinks spiked with date-rape drugs, according to an arrest affidavit.
One woman said she had no memory of about 10 hours and “she had no idea how she got home,” according to previous reporting. Another told investigators she had “blacked out” after a single drink.
After a drink, one woman recalled vomiting and curling up in bed in a fetal position in Matthews’ home, the affidavit said. She remembered waking up with Matthews at her home, but she had no idea how they got there. When the woman declined to meet Matthews again, he allegedly sent the victim nude photographs of her.
By October 2023, more than a dozen victims had come forward and Matthews pleaded not guilty to 51 felony charges for assaulting, drugging and sexually assaulting women dating back to 2019, according to court records.
Thirteen charges were dismissed before the case went to trial, and the jury acquitted Matthews of three more charges in Tuesday morning’s hearing.
“We appreciate the time and effort jurors put into this case. A month is a very long time to commit to, even if it’s your civic duty,” Matthews’ attorney Douglas Cohen said. “But we respectfully disagree with the outcome. And as the great Yogi Berra once said, ‘it ain’t over ’til it’s over’.”
Matthews will next appear in court for a sentencing hearing on Oct. 25.
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Originally Published: August 13, 2024 at 11:48 a.m.
