Cardiologist accused of date rape by 15 women could face life in prison, judge says
A Denver cardiologist accused of sexually assaulting multiple women appeared in court Friday, June 9. A judge set the doctor’s bond at $5 million and said that, if convicted, he could face life in prison.
Stephen Matthews, 35, was arrested in April after a woman came forward and said she blacked out at his house and was sexually assaulted. Many other women have come forward since that initial arrest with similar accusations; Matthews is currently accused of drugging and then sexually assaulting 15 different women.
According to a new report from CBS News Colorado, Matthews is unlikely to get out of jail before his trial later this year. The outlet reported that Judge Eric Johnson made the bond so high to keep him Matthews in jail. He has seen multiple defendants in comparable scenarios remove their ankle monitors and flea.
The cardiologist’s attorney, meanwhile, argued that he does not represent a flight risk and wants to “stay here and defend himself.”
Matthews is next expected in court for a preliminary hearing on June 22. Click the link below for the full update from CBS News Colorado, which has been on top of this story since the beginning: