Jury finds cardiologist guilty of 35 charges in sexual assault trial
Stephen Matthews, the Denver cardiologist accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women he met online, has been found guilty of 35 different counts. A jury returned its verdicts today after more than three days of deliberation.
The accusations against Matthews were first made public in early 2023, when a woman came forward with her story. She testified that she went on a date with Matthews, got into a hot tub and then lost consciousness for several hours. She woke up much later at her own home. At the time, it was reported that the victim did not immediately go to the police with her story. After speaking to a friend, however, the friend’s mother said she had a similar encounter with Matthews a few years prior—and this is when they decided to speak to the authorities.
Matthews was charged with three counts of sexual assault at the time, and the Denver Police Department emphasized that there may be more victims. When he arrived at court for a preliminary hearing related to those charges, he was arrested again for assaulting another nine women.
Matthews was eventually accused of drugging a total of 11 different women he met on online dating apps such as Hinge and Tinder and then sexually assaulting nine of them. The actions all occurred from 2019 to 2023. He pleaded guilty to all 38 counts brought against him.
During the trial, the legal team defending Matthews said the different accusations and stories from his victims were inconsistent. According to on-the-scene coverage from CBS News Colorado, however, the jury was not moved by these arguments. It ultimately found him guilty of all but three counts, which were linked to the same individual.
Matthews has been in custody for several months now on a $5 million bond. He will remain there until he is sentenced in October.
Colorado lawmakers have been using this case as an example of why online dating apps should put forth more effort to protect users.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.