A judge has sentenced a former cardiologist at St. Anthony North to 158 years in prison for drugs and sexual assault of women.

Denver District Judge Eric Johnson on Friday convicted Stephen, 37, of 35 counts of sexual assault after he assaulted at least 11 women between 2019 and 2023, according to a news release from the Denver district attorney’s office.

“Here today, it’s a room full of grief,” Judge Johnson said during the sentencing. “And this is the pain you caused your victims. So much suffering. Nothing is worth it.”

Johnson deemed Matthews a “sexually violent predator” who would likely hurt someone else if released, ultimately giving him the maximum sentence for his crimes.

“Mr. Matthews, you have diminished this world,” Johnson said. “It dimmed many of the lights, it hurt our society, and it’s a darker place because of you.”

Matthews was arrested in March 2023 after a woman reported that he assaulted her after they went to brunch. After her story went public, 10 other women came forward to report being victimized by Matthews.

Matthews’ trial began on July 15 and several victims claimed they met Matthews through dating apps such as Hinge and Tinder. The women reported experiencing memory loss after meeting Matthews, and family members and friends of some of the victims testified that the victims appeared abnormally drunk or disheveled after the encounters.

“I’m scarred by what happened to me that afternoon,” one victim said at Friday’s sentencing. “I have been in therapy for the past 18 months. Stephen Matthews took what seems normal to me. I have developed debilitating anxiety and PTSD when I have sexual encounters where men touching me make me shake and cry.”

After a nearly month-long trial, Matthews was found guilty of 35 of the 38 charges against him on August 13.

“I hope this sentence sends a message to everyone in Denver that people who take advantage of others the way Mr. Matthews did will be prosecuted by my office to the fullest extent of the law,” said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann “I hope today’s sentence provides a measure of comfort to all of Mr Matthews’ victims, whose courage in coming forward led to this successful outcome.”

The news partner of the Denver Gazette, 9 Newscontributed to this report.