Colorado judge sentences serial rapist who drugged and sexually assaulted 4 women; victim says "it took away my safety"

A Parker man has been sentenced to decades behind bars for raping multiple women in Colorado.

Prosecutors say David Kats used drugs, deception and manipulation to prey on women for nearly a decade.

Described by his victims as a master manipulator, Kats has been sentenced to 36 years to life for drugging and raping four women.

"It's hard to have a reaction. I'm numb," said victim Sherry Salazar outside the courtroom.

It's been a long road for Salazar.

"It's changed my life immensely. I don't trust people. I haven't been in a relationship for years. I don't even trust my own judgment," Salazar said. "It took away my safety."

She says she was drugged and raped by Kats after ending their on-again, off-again relationship in 2018.

"I knew what he did to me, but after I found out that he hurt other women after me, I had to come forward," Salazar said.

After Sherry and other victims found each other in the "Are We Dating the Same Guy" Facebook group, a lengthy court process began.

In December, Kats was found guilty on all 17 counts relating to four women, including 12 counts of sexual assault.

"I don't seek revenge after him. I just seek accountability," Salazar said.

On Tuesday, Kats' victims addressed the court at his sentencing.

"It takes profound strength to stand up and hold a perpetrator accountable. True weakness belongs to a man who must drug and violate women to feel powerful," said victim Nicole Shupe.

Nicole Shupe, who told her story in December, said in her victim statement that memory loss and PTSD from the assaults caused her to lose her job and home, forcing her to move out of state.

"What she's gone through is heartbreaking. I'm just praying for her. I'm praying for her, for her strength and for her recovery," Salazar said.

Kats' attorneys asked the judge to sentence him to probation, and his mother, mother-in-law and wife described him as a man of integrity falsely accused.

Kats begged the judge for probation and said the person being portrayed is not him. He said he was a high school football coach for 30 years and mentored young men. He did not admit guilt or apologize to the victims.

"I would expect nothing but that from him. He is all about winning," Salazar said.

Before handing down the sentence, the judge noted a pre-sentence evaluation found Kats showed narcissistic features, hostility toward women and an entitlement to sex.

"I think the judge really picked up on that duality in a great way, and I'm glad she did, because I think the person that was presented is a person that he's capable of being so that he can rope in women to manipulate them. I think he probably does have these good traits that everybody else sees, but he knows when to turn them on and off," said Brynn Chase, deputy district attorney in the Special Victims Unit.

Kats' sentence of 36 years to life begins immediately. It's not yet clear where he will serve his time.

"I think that justice and accountability are represented in that outcome," said Chase. "It's disturbing, I think, to a lot of people, that he was still probation eligible after drugging and raping four separate women over a period of years."

"I don't want to say I'm happy, but I feel safe, and I feel safe for the community," Salazar said. "I don't want anybody else to get hurt, and he does need to be held accountable, and he has been."

Salazar hopes that sharing her story serves as a reminder to other women to come forward and speak up.

"Hopefully it will bring this kind of situation more into the light," Salazar said. "Awareness that this is real. This happens all the time. Don't be afraid to speak up. Stand up for yourself."