The woman who brought rapist and doctor Stephen Matthews to justice has revealed the method he used to lure unsuspecting victims back to his home.
The Denver cardiologist wept in court Tuesday after being convicted of drugging 11 women and raping nine of them in a four-year reign of terror between 2019 and early last year.
Prosecutors say there was a striking similarity in the stories of his victims. And now the latest victim has revealed the strategy that was chillingly familiar to the other ten.
“He gave us all life sentences, but no jail time,” she told KDVR.
“One of the hardest things about sexual abuse and rape is that your body is the scene of the crime and you carry that with you forever.”
After the last victim ‘Audrey’ went to the police, they found a string of women with the exact same story in the hands of Denver rape doctor Stephen Matthews
According to attorney Stephen J Burg, the perverted cardiologist did everything he could to mislead his victim’s suspicions and used the same tactics in every attempt.
Matthews, 36, scoured online dating apps such as Hinge and Tinder and tried to “strategically” arrange dates near his home in the city’s Lower Highland neighborhood.
On Hinge, the multiple rapist arranged a meeting with the woman, who gave her name as “Audrey,” in January 2023.
“It was just a first date,” she said.
Matthews was a trusted and respected member of the Colorado medical community
They met for brunch, after which he invited her to his place, where they played Jenga and took a dip in his hot tub.
Her last memory is of taking a sip of the drink he had made for her, returning home hours later with no memory of what had happened.
Attorney Stephen J Burg said the perverted cardiologist would do everything he could to deny his victim’s suspicions.
“He would build trust and then have them have a drink together, usually near his house, and give them that drink,” he explained.
“They were very, very weak and didn’t know what was going on. And he would sexually abuse them.”
“He was very smart and could build trust. He would say, ‘Let’s meet in a public place,’ and talk about his dog and often use that as an excuse to go back to his house or apartment.”
But Audrey became suspicious when she noticed unexplained bruising and went to a doctor for an examination, which revealed she had been raped.
“I don’t remember any sexual activity, but I did get a hickey,” she said.
She went to the police and when they started investigating, they found more women with exactly the same experience: a date, a game of Jenga, a drink, a hot tub – and nothing more.
One of them said that 10 hours after her meeting with us, Matthews was completely unconscious and “had no idea how she got home.”
Another said she threw up and curled into a fetal position after one drink at Matthews’ home, before waking up at her home with Matthews in the room.
When she refused a second date, he sent her nude photos he had taken of her while she was unconscious.
Matthews denied all allegations and his defense team attempted to poke holes in the women’s stories.
But Audrey testified against him in court and plans to give a victim impact statement at the Oct. 25 sentencing hearing.
Self-pitying multiple rapist wept in court as he faced up to 25 years in prison
“It gives you goosebumps. You want to scream at that person and just shake them and ask them why,” she said.
“It’s something you carry with you for the rest of your life. And I don’t think he regrets it.”
Matthews has lost his professional license and has been held in Denver County Jail on $5 million bail since his arrest in March 2023.
He was convicted of 35 of the 38 crimes presented to the jury and faces between five and 25 years in prison.
“A verdict doesn’t change what happened to you,” one victim told CBS.
“There are lifelong physical and emotional things that I’m going to have to deal with as a result of what happened to me. I don’t think he regrets what he did. I think he regrets that he got caught.”
Audrey also said she found it difficult to process what had happened and that ‘there are days when you don’t want to get out of bed’.
Still, she doesn’t regret coming forward and is grateful to the other women who were brave enough to tell their stories.
“It was really, really nice to meet them all and give them a hug and thank them for coming forward after I did,” she said. “Because they didn’t have to.”