A Douglas County jury on Tuesday convicted a Parker man who drugged and sexually assaulted four women he met through dating apps.

David Kats, 56, faces anywhere from probation to life in prison on 12 counts of sexual assault and five counts of second-degree assault, according to a 23rd Judicial District news release.

In court, the four victims testified Kats had drugged them in separate sexual assault incidents spanning from 2015 to 2023.

23rd Judicial District officials said Kats served his victims drinks before they blacked out and were sexually assaulted. Kats denied sexual assault claims, arguing in court the sexual encounters were consensual.

Authorities searched Kats’ home and found “numerous substances” used to knock out his victims, judicial district officials said.

Sherry Salazar, one of the victims, told The Denver Gazette she dated Kats on and off between 2016 and 2018. She said they met on a dating app and also worked together.

“He was supposed to be someone that I could trust,” Salazar said. “It was that abusive cycle of being nice and controlling, manipulative, and then me setting boundaries and pulling away. Then, he would reel me back in.”

On her birthday in 2018, Salazar said Kats brought her a bottle of wine. She drank it and then blacked out. Salazar said that she didn’t remember what happened next.

The four women who testified discovered each other on a Facebook group called “Are We Dating the Same Guy.” The victims compared their experiences with Kats and then reported him to Parker police, according to the judicial district.

Nicholle Shupe, another victim of Kats, said her relationship with him caused PTSD and the loss of her job.

“It’s not a matter of me wanting him to be in prison,” she said. “It’s more that I’m happy that he’s not able to hurt anyone else.”

Reporting Kats to authorities “was very humiliating,” Salazar said.

“But we had to be honest,” she added, “and the reason why I came forward was to make sure he couldn’t hurt anybody else.”

“The bravery these women demonstrated by taking the stand and facing this predator cannot be overstated,” 23rd Judicial District Chief Deputy DA Danielle Jaramillo said in a statement.

23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler raised fears of Kats being eligible for a probation sentence over jail time.

“Our hope is that the court takes a view of justice that sends a message to other sexual predators that prison is the only just outcome for behavior like this,” Brauchler said in a statement.

Kats’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 23.

Salazar said she hopes to see him behind bars for as long as possible.

“I want him to go,” Salazar said. “I want women to be safe.”