Denver cardiologist sentenced to 158 years in prison for sexual assault | News

A judge in St. He sentenced a former cardiologist at Anthony North Hospital to 158 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting women.

Denver District Judge Eric Johnson on Friday sentenced Stephen, 37, to 35 sexual assault convictions after he attacked at least 11 women between 2019 and 2023, according to a news release from the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

“There is a room here today filled with pain,” Judge Johnson said during sentencing. “And this is the pain you inflict on your victims. Too much pain. None of them deserved it.”

Johnson called Matthews a “sexually violent predator” who would likely harm someone else if released, and ultimately gave him the maximum sentence for his crimes.

“Mr. Matthews, you have made this world small,” Johnson said. “It has extinguished many of its lights, damaged our community, and it is an even darker place because of you.”

Matthews was arrested in March 2023 after a woman reported he assaulted her after going to brunch. After her story became public, 10 more women came forward to say they had been victimized by Matthews.

Matthews’ trial began 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 some victims’ family members and friends testified that the victims appeared abnormally drunk or disheveled after appointments.

“What happened to me that afternoon hurt me,” one victim said at Friday’s sentencing. “I’ve been in therapy for the last 18 months. Stephen Matthews stripped away what seemed normal to me. I developed debilitating anxiety and PTSD when I had sexual encounters with men touching me, causing me to shake and cry.”

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

“I hope this sentence sends the message to everyone in Denver that anyone who takes advantage of others, as Mr. Matthews did, will be prosecuted by my office to the fullest extent of the law,” said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. he said. “I also hope that today’s sentence will provide some measure of relief to all of Mr. Matthews’ victims whose bravery led to this successful outcome.”

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