6 new victims added to Stephen Matthews date rape investigation as Denver cardiologist faces more charges
Six more victims have been identified in the sexual assault investigation into Stephen Matthews, a Denver cardiologist who was arrested last month after several women reported blacking out after drinking with him during dates and claim he sexually assaulted them.
According to the Denver District Attorney's Office, the latest charges allege Matthews of assaulting four women, attempting to sexually assault one woman and drugging another victim. In all of the cases of the six newest victims to come forward, the DA's office is alleging drugging.
The Denver DA said the office is up to 16 total victims, with Matthews facing a total of 34 felony counts.
Matthews was arrested May 15 and charged with nine additional cases at that time. He had previously been charged with felony sex assault in a single case from earlier this year. His attorney, Douglas Cohen, has said Matthews is innocent.
"He's alleged to do things," said Cohen on Monday. "Many people are alleged to do things -- I'll leave it at that."
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Several of the cases were detailed in an affidavit released last month, with the victims recalling remarkably similar stories. All of them say that they met Matthews via various dating apps.
- One woman says she met Matthews for a date on Jan. 25, 2023 and had one alcoholic drink at a bar then went back to his home. She said he made her a drink but after consuming part of it, was "off balance. She remembered him filming her at one point. She remembered him kissing her and then she blacked out," according to the affidavit. She said she has little memory of what happened but believes Matthews sexually assaulted her "but has no memory of it."
- Another woman told police she met Matthews via the dating app Tinder and met him for brunch in 2019. She said they had mimosas and went back to his home. She said Matthews made her a drink and "that after the drink things became very blurry." She told police she did not remember leaving but ended up back at her apartment with him "and woke up to Dr. Matthews having sex with her." She said after she told Matthews she would not meet him again, "he sent her photos of her naked in the hot tub."
- In 2020 or 2021, another woman reported to Denver police that she met Matthews on the dating app Hinge and he suggested she come "to the hospital so they could 'hook up' there and that many other women had done it." According to the affidavit, she declined, but later met him at his home where he said that she "would not want to know what type of porn he likes to watch" and he told her he likes "choking." She said she engaged in consensual sex with him once but when she went to his home a second time and had a drink he gave her, "she blacked out and does not remember anything after that point."
Altogether, Matthews is facing charges of sexual assault on a helpless victim, sexual assault without consent, sexual assault on an incapable victim and second-degree assault involving drugging women.
Matthews remains in custody in the Denver jail without bond pending another hearing on Friday.
Matthews has agreed to stop practicing medicine on an interim basis. The restriction agreement with the Colorado Medical Board went into effect May 22.
