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

A Denver cardiologist was sentenced to 158 years in prison (the maximum penalty) after being convicted of drugging 11 women he met on dating apps and sexually assaulting eight of them, prosecutors said.

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

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

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

Speaking at the sentencing, one of the victims said: “We are now a mighty army of survivors and you are nothing,” describing him as a “narcissistic monster” and “serial rapist”. CBS News reports.

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

In August, Matthews, 37, was convicted of 35 of 38 charges related to drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women.

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

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

In May 2023, Matthews was arrested again after nine other women also said they were drugged and raped by Matthews, according to the arrest affidavit.

During the trial, jurors learned how Matthews lured women to his townhouse by meeting them on dating apps such as Tinder and Hinge.

A woman said during the sentencing hearing that a profile advertising a doctor who was athletic, handsome and had a dog appealed to women, Denver 7 reported. “He used my softness as a reason to target me,” the woman said.

He would spike their drinks with a substance that left spotty memories of the time they spent with him.

Want to keep up with the latest crime news? Sign up PEOPLEfree True Crime newsletter For breaking crime news, ongoing trial news and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Prosecutors said some of the victims passed out after drinking with Matthews and were shocked to wake up to find themselves naked in bed with Matthews, CBS News reported.

After the sexual assaults, Matthews attempted to “gaslight” the victims by telling them they had had too much to drink. One victim said Matthews engaged in “an awful amount of gaslighting and victim blaming,” Denver 7 reported.

During closing arguments, a prosecutor said: “This is a blatant, clear case of a man who felt entitled to commit crimes against women for his own gain by stealing their memories, taking away their bodily autonomy, and simply damaging their memory. to have them come and testify that (their memories) do not exist and criticize them.”

Matthews’ attorney, Douglas Cohen, said he will appeal Matthews’ conviction, CBS News reported.

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.

For more People news, be sure to: sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article People.