CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A Parker man has been convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting several women he met on dating apps over nearly 10 years, the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday.
The jury found David Kats, 56, guilty of 17 counts related to the crimes. At least 12 of those counts were for sexual assault.
The four victims testified they lost consciousness after drinking beverages served by Kats and later discovered they had been sexually assaulted. Police found substances at Kats’ home believed to be used to incapacitate victims.
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Prosecutors said the women discovered one another through posts on the “Are We Dating the Same Guy” Facebook group. After connecting, they compared their experiences and, shortly thereafter, contacted the Parker Police Department, which led to the investigation.
Nicholle Shupe told Denver7 she made the post in the Facebook group.
“My question was, if you were with this person, is there ever a time you recall waking up the next morning and not remembering what happened?" Shupe said. "I made the post because I think I was figuring out what he had done to me — and my mission, I guess is what you would call it — all along has just been to stop him from doing to others what he did to me.”
That post immediately captured the attention of Sherry Salazar, who recounted a time when Kats brought her a bottle of wine. According to Salazar, she did not remember anything after drinking some of the wine.
“If that Facebook, if that group was not there, it would still keep going and going. So, she was really brave and very brave, so I always thank her for that," Salazar said about Shupe.
The two survivors consider the guilty verdict to be a miracle, and could not thank the jury enough for their time during the trial.
"I can't even explain it. I feel justified," Shupe said about Kats' conviction. “We're coming forward because we want other women to feel like they can do the same thing, and it's not an easy thing to do.”
The announcement from the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office said that "during the trial, Kats claimed the sexual encounters were consensual and denied any wrongdoing, despite several text messages from the victims confronting him and expressing concern they had been drugged."
Kats will be sentenced April 23 and faces anywhere from life in prison to probation as punishment.
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