‘Horrible and atrocious’: Denver cardiologist accused of date rape by multiple women is headed to trial

The 35-year-old cardiologist accused of date raping 13 women will go to trial for his alleged crimes, according to a Denver judge. Stephen Matthews faces a total of 51 felony charges, according to the latest update from CBS News. He is now scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 6.

The judge made his ruling at a preliminary hearing Sept. 12 after reviewing all evidence from the case. Jennifer Lott, a sex crimes detective with the Denver Police Department, took the stand to share her own perspective on the case after interviewing the alleged victims. She described what Matthews is accused of as “horrible and atrocious,” even describing videos she has seen that show one of the women in a compromised situation.

Lott did note that no hard proof of drugs being used has been obtained at this time. Instead, the “substantial evidence” in this case revolves around interviews with the alleged victims as well as other photos and videos that appear to back up the women’s accusations.  

Matthews was present in the courtroom on Sept. 12 for the judge’s ruling. According to detailed report from CBS News, he shook his head to say “no” as the judge reviewed each case. He is currently being held in a Denver jail on a $5 million bond.

A bit of context with cardiologist accused of date raping:

In April, Matthews was charged with three counts of sexual assault after a woman came forward with allegations that she had been drugged while at the cardiologist’s house on a date, only to wake up hours later with no memory of what had happened. The Denver Police Department said at the time they were exploring the possibility that there were additional victims. Since then, many other victims have stepped forward and shared their own stories about Matthews, saying they also blacked out for an extended period of time after allegedly being drugged.

Click the link below for the full update from CBS News: