Parker man gets 36 years to life for drugging, raping four women

A Parker man who drugged and raped four women over nearly a decade was sentenced to 36 years to life in prison after survivors found one another, went to police and helped turn a long-running pattern of abuse into a conviction.

David Kats, 56, was sentenced May 5 in Douglas County District Court after a jury convicted him in December 2025 on all 17 counts, including 12 sexual assault charges and five counts of second-degree assault. Prosecutors said the assaults happened between 2015 and 2023, often after Kats met women on dating apps and invited them to his Parker residence or other locations.

At trial, the women testified that Kats served them drinks, they blacked out and later realized they had been sexually assaulted. Parker police searched Kats’ home and found multiple substances prosecutors said were used to incapacitate victims. Prosecutors also introduced text messages in which the women confronted Kats and voiced concern that they had been drugged.

The case began to break open only after the women discovered one another through the Are We Dating the Same Guy Facebook group. After comparing experiences, they contacted police, giving investigators the kind of pattern evidence that drug-facilitated sexual assault cases often lack when victims are isolated and memory loss complicates reporting. The 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office said the joint reporting helped drive the case toward a six-day jury trial and, eventually, the conviction.

Before sentencing, Kats faced a range from probation to life in prison. Judge Victoria Klingensmith said he lacked accountability and empathy and had insisted he was the victim. Prosecutors said that evaluation fit the evidence they presented at trial, including testimony about manipulation, hostility toward women and an entitlement to sex.

Victims addressed the court at sentencing and described how the abuse had damaged their lives, relationships, mental health and sense of safety. Sherry Salazar said after the hearing, “It’s hard to have a reaction. I’m numb.” She said she no longer trusts people or enters relationships the way she once did. Nicholle Shupe said she came forward so no other woman would have to feel what she feels.

The case now stands as a warning in Douglas County, from Parker to Castle Rock, about how long predatory behavior can continue when victims are isolated and how much can change when survivors compare notes, report what happened and force a hard case into the courtroom.