Convicted Denver rapist Stephen Matthews tried to "scrub" evidence from his phone, prosecutors say
CBS 4 News
Stephen Matthews, the former Denver cardiologist sentenced last month to 158 years in jail, tried to erase text conversations and videos with some of his victims from his cellphone, according to the prosecutors in the case, who spoke to CBS News Colorado following the sentencing.
Senior Denver Deputy District Attorneys Bree Beasley and Victoria Kelley said they found text conversations Matthews had with victims -- and videos -- on different electronic devices but not on his phone.
"I think there is enough evidence to say that he was definitely getting rid of things on his phone," said Kelley, during the on-camera interview.
"Was he doing it well? No," she said. "We had evidence he was moving stuff around he didn't think we'd get," said Kelley.
"We knew he was deleting some text messages," she said.
Beasley concurred, saying, Matthews "was manipulating some of the data that was on his phone" with some messages recovered from other devices that "we knew were deleted" from his phone.
Matthews was convicted in August on 35 criminal charges of drugging and sexually assaulting women he had met on dating apps. On Oct. 25, Denver District Court Judge Eric Johnson sentenced Matthews to the maximum, saying evidence against him was "patently overwhelming."
Matthews had pleaded not guilty and through his lawyers, and has always maintained he is innocent. Beasley said, "I believe at the end of the day, he internalizes and believes some of his own narrative."
While he was convicted for drugging 10 women and sexually assaulting eight of them, the Denver prosecutors revealed that about 30 more women had come forward and filed reports with Denver police reporting similar interactions with Matthews, who has not been charged in the additional cases. Asked why Matthews was not charged for the other cases, Beasley said prosecutors had to weigh the value of inundating the jury with more information.
"If we had gone forward with everyone," said Beasley, "we would have been in a position of being in trial six months longer."
The trial this past summer took about a month.
Beasley and Kelley spoke admirably of the women who came forward and pushed their cases against Matthews calling them "strong ... smart ... spectacular."
But it turns out there were other women who Beasley said "came out of the woodwork" while Matthews was in jail to comfort and console him. Kelley said jail communications showed "He definitely had multiple women that he was talking to throughout the pendency of the case and they changed as the case went on."
Beasley said the female supporters "Came out of the woodwork to support him and then they developed a more active relationship."
Beasley and Kelley estimated the group of women comforting Matthews varied over time from between five to 10.
The prosecutors said the maximum sentence was "a good outcome," and said Denver police detectives Andrew Comeaux and Jennifer Lott were instrumental in securing Matthews' conviction. Kelley and Beasley said they hope the Matthews case sends a message to other victims of sexual assault that if they come forward, they will be safe and supported by prosecutors and police.