Trial of Stephen Matthews -- Denver cardiologist charged with sex assault, drugging -- will not be televised

A Denver District Court judge has ruled against having cameras in his courtroom for the trial of Stephen Matthews, a former cardiologist charged with drugging 11 women and sexually assaulting nine of them after connecting with them on online dating sites.

Matthews' trial is set to begin Friday with jury selection and is scheduled to run through the end of July. It was originally set for March but experienced delays due to the volume of evidence.

Responding to media requests for expanded media coverage, Judge Eric Johnson issued a three-page order denying the requests, writing, "this case is already difficult enough for the Defendant and the named -- victims and the Court is keenly aware of how harsh social media has been and can be to defendants and victims in such cases. In light of the nature of the charges, the nature of the allegations, the exceedingly personally and potentially embarrassing nature of the testimony, the 'hot button' political and societal issues surrounding this case, the sensitive nature of the information which may be presented during the trial."

"The testimony of witnesses, and the potential chilling effect such broadcasting would have on future reporting of such crimes the Court DENIES ALL REQUESTS for expanded media coverage," the ruling continued.

Johnson went on to write that he was "confident" the trial will be professionally and thoroughly reported via traditional media coverage "without providing fodder for internet trolls of all ilk."

The 36-year-old has been charged with 38 counts related to a pattern of alleged druggings and sexual assaults beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2023, with more than a dozen women saying they met the physician through online dating apps like Hinge and Tinder.

But the women have offered similar accounts, saying that after having drinks with Matthews, they lost memory of what happened next, believed they were drugged and, in nine of the cases, women reported they were sexually assaulted. Some women said after drinking with Matthews, things got blurry or they suffered large memory gaps. One alleged victim said that after drinking with Matthews at his apartment, she woke up crawling on his bedroom floor, naked and screamed, "what did you do to me?"

Another woman who dated Matthews in 2023 said what occurred was "terrifying."

Through his attorney, Matthews has asserted his innocence, claiming in some cases the sex was consensual.

He is being held on a $5 million bond. He pleaded not guilty in October.

In his order, Johnson noted that both the prosecution and the defense had previously objected to livestreaming hearings and the trial. Johnson wrote that livestreaming Matthews' trial might create an "on-line circus" and he also struck down livestreaming requests.