Doctor charged in alleged January date rape accused of same offense in 2020

Dr. Stephen Matthews, a Denver-based cardiologist who was charged this month with three felony counts of sexual assault on a helpless victim, was previously accused of the same crime in 2020, with the alleged 2020 victim writing at the time that she "was raped" by Matthews, according to documents, text messages, emails and interviews obtained during a CBS News Colorado investigation.

Additionally, at least one other woman has come forward in recent weeks, accusing Matthews of engaging in non-consensual sex when the woman was on a date with Matthews, but she says she was incapacitated and unable to stop him.

"He is a serial offender of this and he clearly won't stop doing it until action is taken against him," said one of the women.

Like others who have come forward since Matthews was arrested and charged this month, she asked that she not be identified. All the women told similar stories, of meeting the cardiologist on the Hinge dating app and agreeing to spend time with him at his Denver home. But each says that after having drinks that he made, their cognitive abilities were compromised, they were unable to stop his advances and lost memory of what occurred.

Matthews' attorney, Douglas Cohen, has maintained that the doctor is innocent, did nothing wrong and that prosecutors have made a "rush to judgment" in charging Matthews.

Cohen declined to be interviewed but wrote, "We in fact have information that challenges the veracity of the initial allegations as well as these new ones presented to you. But we will not try this in the media. If and when necessary, the information we have will be brought forth in court. For now, we remind everyone that the burden of proof is on the government, not on Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews, as with all citizens, has the right to the presumption of innocence."

The women began to tell their stories to CBS News Colorado after the station reported Denver prosecutors were charging Matthews with three sexual assault counts related to an alleged incident that occurred Jan. 29, 2023.

RELATED: Colorado doctor arrested, charged in alleged date rape -- Lawyer says "rush to judgment"

The woman said she met Matthews through Hinge, a dating app, and agreed to meet him for brunch. She had one mimosa at brunch with Matthews according to a receipt obtained by CBS News Colorado. The pair then walked to his nearby townhouse according to a police affidavit, where Matthews said the woman had two shots of tequila and a mimosa. She said her last memory was being in Matthews' hot tub.

The next thing she said she recalled was being at her home about ten hours later being examined by paramedics. The following day she underwent a rape exam which she said showed she had sexual intercourse.

Matthews told police "they had consensual sex," according to an arrest affidavit in the case. Matthews' attorney, Douglas Cohen, suggested the woman had 'buyer's remorse' and was telling 'tall tales'.

But in an on-camera interview with CBS News Colorado, the woman said after having parts of two alcoholic drinks at Matthews' west Denver townhouse, her memory faded.

"The very last thing I remember is in the hot tub, getting in the hot tub," she said. "I just remember staring at my legs, seeing my legs through the water and staring at them and that's all I remember."

She said her next memory is from roughly ten hours later, when she found herself at home. "There were hickeys on my chest and I didn't even know if we had kissed or anything, so to see that, it was just a really disgusting and violating feeling."

While that case led to the recent felony sex assault charges against Matthews, CBS News Colorado has found that in 2020, a 33 year old woman also met Matthews via Hinge, and according to text messages between Matthews and the woman, they met at a park in Denver's Uptown neighborhood in September 2020, where Matthews lived at the time. The two then walked to his nearby apartment where she said he made her a drink that 'tasted bad'. She said the next thing she remembered was waking up naked on the floor, screaming at Matthews, "what did you do?"

She said she ran from his home and just before 10 p.m., texted a family member.'I think there's a good chance something very bad just happened to me' she wrote. 'Rapey', she texted the family member.

She was taken to a Denver hospital where she underwent a rape exam. She told CBS News Colorado it showed she had sexual intercourse. Emails reviewed by CBS News Colorado show she made contact with a Denver police detective but opted not to initiate a criminal investigation, believing it would be a case of 'he said- she said'. But she later sent an email to Hinge writing,'I was raped.. after a first date with an individual I met and communicated with via Hinge.'

In recent weeks, a third woman has also come forward alleging that after she met Matthews on Hinge, she went to his townhouse on October 30th, 2022, where he made mimosas and a bloody mary. She said in a short period of time, 'I had no memory and was incapacitated. There's no way two or three drinks would do that to me or most people', she said. 'To the degree I was incapacitated, I fully believe he put something in there'.

She said while she was at Matthews home for roughly seven hours, she can only remember one to two hours of her stay.

'That time was just lost', she said. She said she remembers throwing up in his bathroom and experiencing a feeling she had never had before.'It was the strangest feeling, like I was kind of aware of what was happening .. it felt like an out of body experience.. I wasn't really comprehending what was even happening'.

She said after she vomited, Matthews performed oral sex on her even though she told him "no" .'I had no intention of having sex with this man at any point in the day. I know things were done to me against my will'.

When she arrived home that night, her roommate, who said he has known the woman for 20 years, said 'she looked exhausted, disoriented and wasn't able to articulate the specific events of the day other than feeling weird. I've never once seen her to this point of incoherence'. He told CBS News Colorado he was convinced she had been drugged.

The woman said she did not go to police, thinking that nobody would believe her.

The woman said Matthews texted her the next day and she responded agreeing to meet him at a later date for brunch.

She said, "I wanted to get answers and peace of mind. I was hoping to figure out what happened." 

She now says agreeing to meet him was a "stupid idea," but "I was hoping to figure out what happened to me."

She said after brunch, they went to his home, where Matthews began making drinks. "I knew that any drink he had touched and gave to me there was a risk of exactly what happened before happening to me again."

She left his home, but over the next several months, returned his text messages. She noted that Matthews texted her Feb. 2 of this year, lamenting about the state of his love life. "Just kinda wishing for love one of these days," wrote Matthews, "but thinking it will come when ready."

The woman observed that text message was sent just a few days after Jan. 29, when he allegedly raped the woman who pressed charges, leading to his arrest.

This week, Denver police released a public notice that they "have received additional information regarding Stephen Matthews and the DPD sex crimes unit is continuing its investigation."

Doug Schepman, the Denver Police Department's marketing and communications manager, said due to the ongoing investigation, he could not say how many additional complaints they had received or the nature of the contacts. But the department asked anyone else who believed they may have been a victim of Matthews to call the department's sex crimes unit.

A spokesperson for Hinge declined to be interviewed, but released a statement saying, "What's been reported is horrible and something no person should go through. We will provide any information to law enforcement that will help their investigation and ensure that justice is served. As soon as our support team receives any concerning report of behavior on or off the app, we immediately take action and remove the account while we look into the report."

Stephen Matthews is free on $50,000 bond and is due back in court in Denver May 15. State records show his medical license is active and there are no disciplinary actions against his license.