DENVER — Prosecutors contend that a Denver cardiologist had a clear pattern of sexually assaulting women and then "gaslighting" them afterward, while his defense argued the case largely relied on "stories."
Around 2:45 p.m. Thursday jurors began deliberating the fate of Stephen Matthews who is charged with 38 counts related to the sexual assault of numerous women. He's accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women after meeting them on dating apps like Hinge and Tinder.
Matthews' trial began on July 15 in Denver District Court. In their closing arguments Thursday morning, prosecutors painted Matthews as someone who was calculated and carefully targeted his victims. His defense team said prosecutors relied on "stories" about "voluntary drinking on first dates" and not actual evidence.
Matthews was arrested in March of last year after a woman reported he assaulted her after they went to brunch. After her story was made public, nine additional women came forward to report they were victimized by Matthews.
One victim did not come forward on her own, but instead was contacted by investigators after videos of her were found on cameras taken from Matthews's home, prosecutors said.
During closings, they spoke about each of the victims many of whom didn't remember exactly what happened. When one of them questioned Matthews about what happened between them, prosecutors said he told her she "wanted it" more than him, but he knew she had been drinking.
"He was the good guy," said prosecutor Bree Beasley. "This is gaslighting."
Matthews' defense team attacked the credibility of some of the victims - pointing out that one of them went on more dates with Matthews after she said he assaulted her.
Several victims testified that they suffered memory loss after their encounters with Matthews. Family members and friends of some of the victims testified that the victims appeared abnormally drunk or disheveled after meeting Matthews.
Many of the victims believed they were drugged, but Matthews' defense team noted that investigators found no physical evidence of drugging and said no drugs were found in his home when it was searched. They also said many of the victims never got a sexual assault exam, none as SANE.
"These women did nothing wrong - yet they are internalizing their behavior," said Beasley.
Prosecutors admitted no drugs were found in the home, but said investigators did find hidden packages of Plan B and contraceptives. They also noted that a JENGA game was not found during the search and insinuated that Matthews had gotten rid of the game. Several victims had told investigators that some of the blocks had "dares" written on them.
Matthews' attorneys implored jurors not to decide the case with sympathy and said prosecutors failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. He cautioned them not to be guided by the number of victims - which he referred to as accusers.
"Again, volume does mean guilt," his attorney said. "Don't let the volume of accusations overcome your common sense."
Matthews remains locked up under a $5 million bond.