Stephen Matthews, a Denver cardiologist who drugged and raped nearly a dozen women he met on dating sites, has been sentenced to 158 years in prison. The sentencing marks the end of a four-year reign of terror that lasted from 2019 to early last year.
Matthews, 37, wept in the dock as he was convicted on 35 counts in August. He returned to court on Friday to learn his fate, with District Court Judge Eric Johnson condemning his actions. “You have diminished this world,” Johnson told him. “You have dimmed many of its lights. You’ve hurt our society, and it’s a darker place because of you. You brought disgrace upon yourself.”
Prosecutors said Matthews trawled through online dating apps including Hinge and Tinder, “strategically” trying to arrange dates near his home in the city’s Lower Highland neighborhood. Eleven victims came forward to testify against him, but prosecutors fear there were dozens more, with one branding him “one of the most prolific serial rapists in the history of the state of Colorado.”
Victims recounted remarkably similar experiences of being drugged and raped after accepting drinks from Matthews. One victim, Allie, said she felt ill and her speech became slurred after drinking only a quarter of the glass Matthews had prepared for her. She managed to escape “shoeless, vomiting and barely conscious” into an Uber.
Another victim, Audrey, met Matthews for brunch before he invited her back to his home. Her last memory is of sipping a drink he made her, before coming to, hours later, back in her own home with hickeys, bruises, and no recollection of what had happened.
While Matthews’ mother pleaded for leniency, telling him “I love you always, and no matter what,” victims welcomed the lengthy sentence. “We are now a powerful army of survivors, and you are nothing,” one said, branding him a “narcissistic monster.”
Denver DA Beth McCann thanked the survivors for their courage in bringing Matthews to justice. “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,” she said. “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.”
