DENVER — A former Denver cardiologist accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women after meeting them on dating apps like Hinge and Tinder was found guilty on 35 of 38 counts by a jury Tuesday morning in Denver District Court.
Stephen Matthews, 36, 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.
“I just hope this case sets a precedent for all perpetrators for these types of crimes," said Audrey, one of the victims who testified. "That you will be prosecuted, women will be believed, you should believe women and that you don’t get to do this to the women of Denver without facing consequences."
Audrey and many of the other named victims in the case sat in the courtroom as Matthews covered his face and put his head down on the desk.
"I don’t care. You did this to all of us," one of the victims, who didn't want to be named, said of Matthews' reaction. "You took away our memory. You took away our ability to live our life carefree. I was 23 when this happened. I’m 24 and spent almost two years of dealing with the trauma and the stress and the anxiety. So I don’t care.”
Matthews' trial began on July 15. 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.
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, known as SANE.
Prosecutors admitted no drugs were found in the home, but said investigators did find hidden packages of Plan B and contraceptives.
“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. I hope today’s verdict provides a measure of comfort to all the victims, whose courage throughout this case should be an inspiration to us all,” said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. “I want to thank the prosecutors, investigators, victim advocates and paralegals from my office, as well as the detectives from the Denver Police Department, whose outstanding work got us to this point today. I also want to thank the jurors for their service during this lengthy and emotional trial. Justice was clearly served today.”
Matthews will be sentenced on Oct. 25.