DNA from coffee cup leads to arrest in decades-old rapes Ask Amy: I put a security camera in my room, and what I saw was creepy, Harriette Cole: My friend's mom didn't recognize me at my job, and she was very rude, Ask Amy: My fiancee's family says I'm not invited, and she's going without me, 'Total dominance': Steph Curry breaks NBA Game 7 record, leads Warriors over Kings, Dear Abby: The reason her fiance hid his phone was something she never guessed, Kurtenbach: Game 7 is likely not win-or-go-home for the Warriors it's win-or-break-up, Warriors' Kerr reacts to Giannis' comments on success and failure: 'He's so right', Miss Manners: I don't want to hurt the bride, but I have qualms about the wedding, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Both Robicheaux and Riley . And once he does, he has a bunch of plans for their perfect life together, including twins (one boy and one girl, natch). The district attorneys office said Robicheaux and Riley met the second victim at a Newport Beach bar on October 2, 2016. Your Invited to Chad and Cerissa's Wedding! on Vimeo The judge said there were too many unanswered questions about why Jane Doe 2 did not respond to prosecutors. Doctor Accused of Sexually Assaulting Women with Girlfriend Likened to Bonnie and Clyde Team, Harvey Weinstein Sentenced to 16 More Years in Prison After Being Found Guilty of Rape: Reports, Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, Mo. More women say surgeon drugged and raped them. But we do see is that there is bar, the couple is in a bar, Cerissa introduces her, meets the lady and then introduces her to Robicheaux and then they invite her to a party. In one case, the party was on a boat, Rackauckas said. I told him I had been raped [while] in the military, and that his actions reminded me of that. A prosecutor told an Orange County Superior Court judge. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c08450bdbac0fcb Bravo/YouTubeGrant Robicheaux on the Bravo reality dating show. State prosecutors have acknowledged that the case has become a political firestorm. During recent hearings they have told the judge that they werent saying they dont believe the women, but have instead determined they cannot prove the criminal allegations they are trying to drop. Real Bride Carissa I. OC Judge Reduces Charges Against Newport Beach Surgeon, Girlfriend An Orange County Superior Court judge Friday recused himself from the case involving Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley, the Newport Beach couple accused of drugging and sexually assaulting several women. According to People, she has also worked in sales. Surprise twist in rape case involving reality TV doctor Grant Todd Spitzer of sabotaging the prosecution. Rolling Stone. An Orange County Superior Court judge on Wednesday granted a motion by prosecutors to dismiss charges related to two alleged rape victims in the case against a Newport Beach hand surgeon and his girlfriend, who are accused of drugging and sexually assaulting several women. Robicheaux and Riley were both released on $100,000 bond on September 17. We dont know how many victims there may be out there. According to prosecutors, the first incident occurred in April 2016, when Grant William Robicheaux and Cerissa Laura Riley met the 32-year-old victim at a Newport Beach restaurant. The two attended the same high school in Orange County, where Cerissa was a cheerleader and involved in drama. The woman went to the Newport Beach Police Department the next day and underwent a forensic exam, which tested positive for multiple controlled substances, according to prosecutors. This case was filed in Orange County Superior Courts, Lamoreaux Justice Center located in Orange, California. They separated in 2013 after Chad came out as gay; divorce proceedings are ongoing. His expertise also extends to athletic and overuse injuries about the lower extremity, as well as joint replacement. Robicheaux is a prominent area doctor who in 2014 appeared on the short-lived Bravo reality dating series Online Dating Rituals of the American Male. Do you believe theres about a thousand or so victims of sexual assault/rape depicted on the electronic media? Cohen asked. Todd Spitzer wants to drop all charges against Robicheaux, a doctor and former reality-TV personality who was charged with sexually assaulting seven women, and against Riley, a former schoolteacher who was charged with five. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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We've received your submission. He added that Cerissa pushed him to seek church counseling. Spitzer inherited the case when he won Rackauckas job and asked the California attorney generals office to step in because of perceived conflict of interest, but the request was rejected. His novel Snitch Jacket was a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel. As soon as it hit the news in 2018, the sensational serial-rape case against Newport Beach hand surgeon Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, became tangled in a bitter political feud between Orange Countys top prosecutor and the man who would succeed him. Three women who accused a Newport Beach doctor and his girlfriend of drugging and raping them no longer want to be involved in the high-profile criminal case against the couple after they were. One of the worst days of my life was when I was raped by Grant Robicheaux, the woman wrote, saying she was a first-year law student at the time and did not initially report the incident because she feared it would derail her career and hurt her parents. EARLIER: Prosecutors said Friday that intend to go forward with a new complaint charging a former reality star and his girlfriend. The initial charges involved two accusers, though after the case became public other women came forward, and charges involving five additional women were filed. Bromberg, during a hearing last month, questioned whether prosecutors with the California Attorney Generals Office have the comfort level to try such a case in Orange County Superior Court. She said the defense teams behavior ultimately forced her to tell her father, who was in his late 60s, that she had been raped. In September 2018, the pair were arrested and initially charged with drugging and sexually assaulting two women in 2016. Dear Abby: Am I overreacting to my European daughter-in-law's behavior? His book You Will See Fire: A Search for Justice in Kenya, based on his Times series, was published in 2011. wasnt super freaked out about the foursome date, or the fact that she was alone with a stranger she met on the Internet and his accomplices friends on a boat with no escape, but she was pretty freaked out when (the roommates girlfriend) asked her if she was a virgin, the website says in the synopsis of the episode. Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley, 32, were accused by a 34-year-old woman who claimed that back in April 2016. But instead of granting that motion, as many expected, the judge took it under submission and allowed more time for all parties to present more facts, Fell said. Rackauckas said he still believes that the criminal case against Robicheaux and Riley is a strong one. Robicheaux and Riley were each released on a $100,000 bail. Dr. Grant Robicheaux was listed as a doctor for the NewportCare Medical Group, working in Orange County, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo and Orange, according to an archive of the website provided to Heavy by the Orange County District Attorneys Office. Cerissa Riley is a dance instructor, she says she was teaching dance to students in grades 5 to 12 in Orange County, but she doesnt think she will return. An Orange County Superior Court judge on Wednesday dismissed some of the criminal charges against a Newport Beach doctor and his girlfriend who were accused of drugging and raping seven women, after prosecutors indicated that two of the alleged victims no longer want to be involved in the high-profile case. Rackauckas said he has also heard from a number of women accusing Robicheaux of rape, with some cases going back nearly 20 years. They look like theyre certainly past that point. Grant Robicheaux, 40, and girlfriend Cerissa Riley, 34, were. Please enable JavaScript to experience Vimeo in all of its glory. Case Summary. 2023 Vimeo.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley at the Newport Beach courthouse Friday morning. Grant William Robicheaux, 38, and his girlfriend Cerissa Laura Riley, 32, face multiple charges including: rape by drugs, oral . They have been aware of these accusations for a number of months, and each of them will formally deny the truth of these allegations at their first opportunity in court, the defense said in a Friday statement. Its very scary and weird.. Bombshell reversal for surgeon accused of sexual assault. We are shocked to learn of the arrest of Cerissa Riley, one of our employees. Atty. I put on my clothes. He tried to take [them] off again, but I got out. (She has not filed a police report.). O.C. judge scales back rape charges against Newport Beach surgeon Did you encounter any technical issues? There is not a single piece of evidence or video or photo that shows an unconscious or incapacitated woman being sexually assaulted, said Spitzer, the new prosecutor. ), Police say the victim felt paralyzed by the apparent drugs and did not feel as though she could physically resist Robicheaux and Cerissa while they were having sex with her.. Prosecutors alleged that Robicheaux, often with the help of his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, lured the women in, then drugged them, and raped them. We went through every single victims statement.. CERISSA RILEY VS CHAD RILEY | Court Records - UniCourt Maura Dolan is a former California-based legal affairs writer for the Los Angeles Times. Your IP: Robicheaux is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon per the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery with advanced additional subspecialty training in treating the upper extremity. The Web site of his former medical group, NewportCare, said he converted his Southern gentlemanly upbringing naturally into a comfortable caring bedside manner., When Robicheaux appeared on the 2014 Bravo show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male, he came across as a perfectionist looking for a cookie-cutter wife to give him two kids. Lead Photographer: Tessa Smucker Second Photographer: Victoria Walters Ceremony & Reception Venue: Drumore Estate. Politics have infected this case, Jones said. And that gives hope to some of the couples accusers. Students demand better access to care. The California Medical Board has launched an investigation into Robicheaux, Rackauckas said. His profile said he was looking for a wife, Hayden added. Cerissa Riley was charged with 13 felonies, including rape. Check out more on Riley below. Cerissa has been a part of the TCS team since 2005. Discovery Company. Sources who knew Cerissa Riley as a nice churchgoing girl are especially surprised. But former district attorney Rackauckas denied Spitzers claim that he used the case for political gain. San Jose: Pedestrian killed in early morning collision, Tornado flips cars, damages homes in coastal Florida city, Fremont: Hit-and-run collision suspect taken into custody, Manhunt continues for Texas shooting suspect, reward offered, a state prosecutor described them as having been dragged through the mud and grossly mistreated., made a request to dramatically scale back the criminal case. Chad Riley, This is the wedding invitation video to Chad and Cerissa's wedding!!! The charges had initially involved five victims. At the last hearing, in June, attorney Matt Murphy told Bromberg that he was representing a new client in the case, a potential eighth victim, however. But they insisted none of the women theyd had a sexual relationship with were too inebriated to consent. Cohen represents Robicheaux both in his criminal case and in a civil suit filed by one of his accusers, an Ohio woman who was in her mid-30s when she says she met Robicheaux and Riley at a Newport Beach Halloween party in October 2016. He noted that it had been more than two years since Newport Beach police received accusations against the couple, and eight months since the search of Robicheauxs house. First attending medical school in New Orleans the soon to be Dr. Robicheaux converted his southern gentlemanly upbringing naturally into a comfortable caring bedside manner. Robicheaux and Riley told Good Morning America they participated in a swingers lifestyle. accused Robicheaux and Riley of meeting women at restaurants and bars in Newport Beach before drugging them and luring them to Robicheauxs apartment to sexually assault them. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. 2. If the judge were to deny the request to dismiss some of the remaining charges, there is disagreement about what could happen if the attorney generals office then decides to walk away from the case. If convicted of the two cases currently being tried, Robicheaux faces up to 40 years in prison and Riley 30. One of the alleged victims dubbed them Bonnie and Clyde. (The current charges against the couple relate only to the two women who have filed police reports. Powered by. We went into the Jacuzzi, and he tried tearing off my bathing-suit top. The two were high school sweethearts and got married. Its a terrible thing when the elected district attorney has so politicized a case that the judge doesnt accept at face value that youre seeking justice, said Brian Gurwitz, a former prosecutor and longtime defense attorney who is unaffiliated with the case. Judge Steve Bromberg approved a request by the California Attorney Generals Office to dismiss charges related to the women, writing in a court order that after 2 1/2 years, these ladies are entitled to leave the case if they so wish, and noting that a state prosecutor described them as having been dragged through the mud and grossly mistreated.. Robicheaux was charged initially with seven alleged victims and Riley with five. Heres what you need to know about Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley: Orange County DACerissa Riley and Grant Robicheaux in February 2017. Required fields are marked *, Don't forget to check the Photo Gallery & Video. She is a good person, Chad tells PEOPLE. First they were accused of drugging and raping women while recording their exploits on a cell phone. Days later, she partied with them and others aboard a boat, before going to the doctors home. Weve all heard of a wolf dressed up in sheeps clothing. According to Rackauckas, he had a reputation as a fine doctor and one who was sought after., Added a lawyer whose wife was a Robicheaux patient, Hes good-looking, smooth. Last year, current-District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced there wasnt enough evidence to proceed with the case. Law enforcement investigating this case believe there may be additional victims. Then something changed, Most of Yosemite Valley is closed due to potentially perilous snowpack and flooding, What was behind the protest against an archaeologist at last weeks L.A. Times Book Festival, Column: If not cops or guns, what will it take to make us feel safe? Rackauckas said he did not know. She loves being a part of the TCS family and enjoys working with all of our clients, the website said. Bay Area man on parole for kidnapping, sexual assault arrested for kidnapping, sexual assault I cant remember a couple doing this together.. The website states Robicheaux, has a plan: to find the perfect woman, have a fantasy wedding and raise the All-American family. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The couple slipped the drug GHB into her drink, which caused her to pass out, and she awoke while she was being sexually assaulted, prosecutors had alleged. An Orange County Superior Court judge on Wednesday granted a. Orange County District Attorney Robicheaux and Riley celebrated what seemed to be their imminent freedom on national TV last week. from But those wedding bells are likely on hold. We talked about him for the entire date. She screamed and a neighbor called 911, court documents say. On Sept. 11, the comely duo was arrested for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting two women in 2016. Inspire employees with compelling live and on-demand video experiences. The prior District Attorney and his chief of staff manufactured this case and repeatedly misstated the evidence to lead the public and vulnerable women to believe that these two individuals plied up to 1,000 women with drugs and alcohol in order to sexually assault them; and videotape the assaults, Spitzer said in a blistering statement. His 31-year-old girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, was a pretty dance instructor who had moved in with Robicheaux this year. Crime and Public Safety | 'Bonnie and Clyde of Rapists': Victim Begs Judge to Keep Case Against Hes clearly a sociopath. Cerissa Riley, who was born Cerissa Gilligan, was married in 2011, public records show. He added, I want women out there to know that the Orange County District Attorneys Office is taking this case very seriously. She had met Robicheaux on Tinder. Murphy, who represents several of the victims, and attorney Michael Fell, who represents one of the alleged victims, objected and Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory W. Jones denied the motion to dismiss the case and handed off the prosecution to the attorney generals office in August, citing the politics involved between Spitzer and Rackauckas as one of the main reasons. Riley graduated from Chapman University in Orange with a degree in dance and worked as a dance teacher for junior high and high school students, according to a video on her YouTube channel. Woodruff first met Riley in the late 2000s, when she and her son, Chad, were in school together at Villa Park High School in Orange County. I feel like I can breathe again.. But am I motivated by that? Trump turns focus to Biden, hints again at skipping debates . ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, L.A. Affairs: I had my reasons for not dating white men. The judge said he would rule by April 3, CNN affiliate KTLA reported. Who is Harvey Weinsteins Lawyer Donna Rotunno? In 2013, he was named Bachelor of the Year by Orange Coast Magazine. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said his office worked with the Newport Beach Police Department to find evidence that broke the case and led to the charges. In May, prosecutors made a request to dramatically scale back the criminal case, asking to dismiss charges related to all but one, or possibly two, alleged victims. I suppressed this horrible experience., Jane Doe #1 said she decided to approach prosecutors after she saw that Robicheaux had been charged in September 2018, but felt guilty because, she said, I didnt stop him when I could.. I have taught musicals to different elementary schools and I have substituted for elementary and junior high schools. She said in the video her goal was to acquire a physical education credential with an authorization in dance and become the director of a high school dance department. Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 40, and Cerissa Riley, 34, will now face sexual assault charges involving two of the alleged victims. Dr. Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, had their lives " destroyed. Both are scheduled to be arraigned October 24. Cerissa Riley, who was born Cerissa Gilligan, was married in 2011, public records show. Atty. Its important to understand that rapists can look like anyone. The second defendant being a female is key. At the end of the show, Robicheaux decided to continue his dating search. We scoured the evidence in this case, said prosecutor Richard Zimmer. Orange County DAGrant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley. Cerissa was born in 1987, to Raymond and Sondra Lea Gillian ages 76 and 75, respectively. Dr Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley. Prosecutors expect to move forward in doctor drug-rape case His girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, 33, faces three counts of rape among 13 charges in connection with assaults that previous prosecutors alleged took place in Robicheaux's Balboa Peninsula home . A 32-year-old woman met the pair at China Palace restaurant in Newport Beach. Orange County judge grants motion to dismiss charges for 2 alleged Following the . Bromberg granted the prosecutors motion to dismiss charges related to two of the women, but defers on ruling on the other woman at this time. Advertisement Robicheaux and Riley no longer face rape charges. Shes a very, very good person, said the 30-year-old, adding that he and Cerissa used to evangelize on the street, traveling as far as Hungary to perform religious skits. We believe that if victims come forward, we would be able to identify them as victims based on the videos and other circumstances, the district attorney said at the press conference. Orange County Superior Court Frank Ospino approved a request by the California Attorney General's Office to pare down charges against Dr. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley to focus on two of. By mornings end, Riley was slumped weeping against Robicheauxs shoulder in court, and the defense had withdrawn an offer to make the couple available for further interviews. A hearing for Robicheaux and Riley had been set for July 20, but will need to be rescheduled due to a time conflict with an upcoming trial, the judge wrote in his order Wednesday. After the hearing, Spitzer said he would be more than pleased to share the evidence with the judge, whose decision to inform himself about the facts he called completely reasonable.. In May, prosecutors made a request to dramatically scale back the criminal case, asking to. California woman jumps out third-story window to escape vicious pimp, prosecutors say She has reportedly also been employed as a dance instructor and in sales. announced there wasnt enough evidence to proceed with the case. Moreover, Mrs. Riley is facing up to 30 years in prison. Police searched Robicheauxs apartment on January 9, 2018, and found large quantities of illegal drugs, which the couple is accused of possessing. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley: California surgeon and his Investigators had seized video tapes, Rackauckas said. A woman purporting to be his girlfriend clearly paid a significant role in disarming the victims and making them feel comfortable and safe. Orange County Dist. The arrest has jolted Orange County, with residents shocked that an attractive, successful couple could commit such ugly crimes. Jane Doe #1 then took aim at Spitzer, saying he had never met with her and that his office had given her scant notice less than 10 minutes before the news conference at which he apologized to the man who raped me., Zimmer, one of the prosecutors, responded to Jane Doe #1s statement by telling the judge: Its not that we dont believe her., The judge shot back: But a jury might believe her.. Its terrifying.. Christopher Goffard is an author and a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. She and Robicheaux are charged with two alleged assaults in 2016 but authorities have said they are reviewing video evidence suggesting there are many more victims, and they have received dozens of calls. We tend to trust doctors who take an oath to do no harm. Cerissa Riley was charged with 13 felonies, including rape. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? According to her former husband, shes a devout Christian. His office could not prove that the defendants believed their accusers incapable of sexual consent, he said. According to this lady, she met the pair at a restaurant in Newport before they headed to a boat party; she said they later took her to their apartment where they assaulted her. Another video posted last year titled, HEY JIMMY KIMMEL I TOLD MY KIDS I ATE ALL THEIR HALLOWEEN CANDY, shows Riley and Robicheaux talking to a young boy. Related Articles A toxicology report found the woman to have cocaine, ecstasy and MDA in her system. District Attorney Todd Spitzer to drop the charges has allowed her to breathe again and she feels like shes finally awoken from a nightmare. Dr. Grant William Robicheaux, 39, and Cerissa Laura Riley, 32, were accused of targeting women on dating apps, in multiple cities, and then drugging and sexually assaulting them while they were unconscious or incapacitated. He received media attention in 2018 after he was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women. Marlene Ricketts Top Facts about Joe Ricketts Wife, Elliot Grainge 5 Facts About Sofia Richie Husband, Corinne Foxx 5 Facts About Jamie Foxx Daughter, Tom Pelphrey 5 Facts About Kaley Cuoco Boyfriend, Bader Shammas 5 Facts About Lindsay Lohan Husband. If only he wasnt a pompous ahole, I would have loved the guy, Hayden said. Robicheaux and Cerissa are now out on $100,000 bail each. MeetCerissa Riley; she is the girlfriend of Dr.Grant Robicheaux the orthopedic surgeon, graduate of Louisiana State University and a star on Bravos reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male back in 2014. Former Reality TV Star Surgeon Accused Of Rape Gets Charges - Deadline Six months later, another woman was allegedly assaulted after meeting the couple at a bar. On the side, Cerissa is a Dance Teacher and also works for the Fullerton School District as a substitute teacher, the website states. They both thank their families and friends for their continued support, the statement from the couples attorneys said. In 2014, Grant Robicheaux appeared on the short-lived Bravo reality TV series, Online Dating Rituals of an American Male, as one of two participants on the fifth episode of the shows lone season. Grant Robicheaux & Cerissa Riley: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know - Heavy.com Tony Rackauckas, who Spitzer unseated. She literally is an amazing human being. The judges refusal to scuttle the charges seemed a bitter surprise for the defendants, who began the day with an appearance on Good Morning America, where Riley said, I feel like I finally woke up from a bad nightmare and feel like I can breathe again.. EARLIER: Prosecutors said Friday that intend to go forward with a new complaint charging a former reality star and his girlfriend.

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