A Douglas County judge on Tuesday handed down decades-long prison sentences to David Kats, a 56-year-old Parker man convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women he met through dating apps. The punishment follows a December jury verdict and closes a case that prosecutors say stretched close to ten years, marked by calculated manipulation and the use of substances to incapacitate victims.
He was ordered to spend decades behind bars, according to CBS Colorado. During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors and survivors described in detail how the assaults shattered lives and upended any sense of safety in dating.
Conviction and evidence
A press release from the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office states that Kats was convicted on 17 counts, including 12 counts of sexual assault, after a six-day jury trial. Prosecutors said the assaults took place between 2015 and 2023 and that a search of Kats’ home turned up substances investigators said could be used to knock victims out or leave them unable to resist.
How survivors connected
The four women who ultimately reported Kats say they found each other through the Facebook group “Are We Dating the Same Guy,” then compared experiences and went to Parker police, according to reporting by the Denver Gazette. That peer-to-peer connection became the backbone of the case, helping investigators piece together a pattern they say would otherwise have stayed hidden.
Prosecutors and the law
District Attorney George Brauchler said in the office’s release that “David Kats used drugs, deception, and manipulation to prey on women who trusted him.” Prosecutors also pointed out that, under current Colorado law, some of the counts Kats was convicted of are technically eligible for probation. In the same 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office release, officials said they pushed for a prison sentence to keep Kats from targeting anyone else and to send a clear warning to other would-be predators.
Survivors' response
“We’re never going to get over it just because he is found guilty. We have to live with a lifetime of trauma,” one survivor told CBS Colorado. The women have urged anyone who believes they had a similar encounter with Kats to contact law enforcement so investigators can determine how far his actions may have gone.
With sentencing now complete, prosecutors and survivors say they hope the outcome prevents further harm, underscores the power of coordinated reporting among victims, and shows how persistent police work can bring serial predators out of the shadows.
