Masked stranger sexually assaulted woman in 2004, CO officials say. He’s sentenced
More than two decades ago, a woman was startled awake, then sexually assaulted by a masked stranger in her bedroom, Colorado prosecutors say.
Now, Jason Groshart, 52, has been given a 32-year prison sentence in connection with the alleged 2004 sexual assault, the Denver District Attorney’s Office said in a Sept. 17 news release.
Groshart’s sentencing comes after he pleaded guilty to kidnapping and attempted sexual assault in late July, prosecutors said.
McClatchy News was unable to immediately reach an attorney representing Groshart on Sept. 18.
Denver police responded to a report of a burglary and sexual assault on March 30, 2004, police wrote in an arrest affidavit.
When officers arrived, the woman told them she came home from work early after getting a migraine and fell asleep in her bedroom, police said.
At about 6 p.m., her dog’s aggressive barking startled her awake, and she noticed a man dressed in all black with a mask covering his face standing in her bedroom, police said.
Alarmed by his presence, the woman demanded the man leave, offering him her possessions in exchange for him leaving, police said.
The man, however, refused, insisted he was staying and pulled away the woman’s bedding, police said.
Armed with a handgun, police said the man handcuffed the woman’s hands behind her back, placed a mask over her head and put her dog in the closet.
When the woman fought the man, she said he put a handgun to her chin, saying “Is this worth dying for?” according to the report.
The man then sexually assaulted the woman, then forced her to take a shower, police said.
The man gathered the woman’s bedsheets, towels and other evidence and placed them in a trash bag, which he took with him as he left the home, prosecutors said.
Before he left, police said the man put the woman in the closet, telling her to wait there for five minutes.
The woman waited a minute before rushing to the phone and calling authorities, according to police.
DNA evidence was collected, police said, but the case stayed cold until 2022 when investigators looked to investigative genetic genealogy to bring closure to the case.
Genetic genealogy uses DNA testing coupled with “traditional genealogical methods” to create “family history profiles,” according to the Library of Congress. With genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine if and how people are biologically related.
This testing created a new lead in the case, which pointed detectives to Groshart, prosecutors said.
Additional DNA testing showed the DNA profile from the 2004 incident matched Groshart’s DNA profile, according to prosecutors.
“It’s hard to imagine the terror the victim felt during and after this horrific crime, and it is my hope that this significant sentence gives her some sense of comfort that Jason Groshart will likely never be able to victimize anyone else ever again,” District Attorney John Walsh said in the release.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Masked stranger sexually assaulted woman in 2004, CO officials say. He’s sentenced."
