DENVER — A court hearing started Friday to decide whether there is enough evidence for a trial in the case of a cardiologist accused of drugging 13 women, some who came forward this year with allegations of rape.
The hearing in Denver District Court is expected to last at least two days as Denver Police detectives share what evidence they have collected. Evidence includes interviews with alleged victims, text messages and data taken from computers and electronics owned by Stephen Matthews as part of a search warrant.
A judge will then decide whether the case should move forward toward a trial.
Earlier this year, prosecutors began building a criminal case involving more than 40 charges against Matthews in which he’s accused of meeting women on dating websites, drugging them either at restaurants or at his home, and then sexually assaulting them.
Some of the women claim they remember playing Jenga with Matthews and taking shots of tequila at his home, and then suddenly losing their memory. The Jenga game, according to some of the victims, had “dares” written on the blocks.
On Friday, the hearing began with Detective Andrew Comaux taking the stand and testifying about the stories and accounts of three alleged victims who all claimed they drank with Matthews at restaurants and immediately began to feel poorly.
Comaux testified that one of the alleged victims remembered a “flash of memory” in which she was handcuffed and naked on the floor in Matthews’ apartment with another unknown woman in the room.
Another alleged victim, according to Comaux, remembers Matthews biting her.
Comaux read some of the text messages between the alleged victims and Matthews in which they shared concerns they might have been drugged. In one of the exchanges, Matthews denied he was the culprit.
Comaux also testified that DNA taken from Matthews during his first arrest in March matched with another sexual assault case reported in 2020; however, it's unknown whether that case is part of his current stack of charges.
Matthews remains in custody under a $5 million bail pending trial.
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