Stephen Matthews, 37, of Denver, was sentenced Friday to 158 years in prison

A Denver cardiologist has been sentenced to 158 years in prison — the maximum sentence — after he was found guilty of drugging 11 women he met on dating apps and sexually assaulting eight of them, they said the prosecutor.

Stephen Matthews “incapacitated his victims and then sexually assaulted eight of them,” Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. said in a press release Friday, October 25.

“This guy is one of the most prolific serial rapists in the history of the state of Colorado,” said former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. KDVR reports.

The sentence was met with cheers and applause in court by the victims who shared the pain and long-term trauma they suffered after being drugged and raped by Matthews.

Calling him a “narcissistic monster” and a “serial rapist”, one of the victims who spoke during the sentencing said: “We are now a strong army of survivors”, adding “and you are nothing”. CBS News reports.

Another victim said: “He was methodical. It wasn’t about consent. It wasn’t about sex. It was about control. He used his position and title as a former doctor to abuse the trust in me and others,” reports KDVR.

In August, Matthews, 37, was convicted on 35 of 38 counts of drug and sexual assault on numerous women.

He was arrested in March 2023 after a woman came forward to Denver police reporting that she had been drugged and raped during a date at Matthews’ home, according to the arrest affidavit. Denver 7 reports.

Believing that Matthews may have drugged and raped other women, Denver police asked other potential victims to come forward.

In May 2023, Matthews was arrested again after nine other women came forward saying they had also been drugged and raped by Matthews, according to the arrest affidavit.

During the trial, jurors heard how Matthews would lure women to his home by meeting them on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge.

A woman said during the sentencing hearing that his profile, which advertised an athletic, handsome doctor with a dog, was attractive to women, Denver 7 reports. “He used my softness as a reason to target me.” , said the woman.

He spiked their drinks with a substance that left them with unpleasant memories of their time with him.

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Some of the victims testified that after drinking with Matthews, they passed out and when they awoke, they were shocked to find themselves naked in bed with Matthews after he raped them, prosecutors said, reports CBS News.

After the sexual assaults, Matthews tried to “enlighten” the victims by telling them they had had too much to drink. One victim said Matthews engaged in an “appalling amount of gaslighting and victim-blaming,” Denver 7 reports.

During closing arguments, a prosecutor said: “This is an obvious, obvious case of a man who feels entitled to commit women for his own benefit, robbing them of their memory, robbing them of their bodily autonomy and damaging their memories , only to come to testify and criticize them for the fact that (their memories) do not exist.”

Matthews’ attorney, Douglas Cohen, said Matthews will appeal the conviction, CBS News reports.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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