Judge delays decision in alumna-involved assault case
The trial of Chapman alumna Cerissa Riley and her surgeon boyfriend Grant Robicheaux has been extended to allow more time to evaluate evidence
Cerissa Riley, left, and Grant Robicheaux, right, were accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women in 2018. Panther Archives
Prosecutors recently announced they planned to drop charges against Grant Robicheaux and Chapman alumna Cerissa Riley, who were accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women in 2018, due to insufficient evidence. Robicheaux and Riley have repeatedly denied the accusations throughout the trial and celebrated the end to what Riley called a, “bad nightmare” in a Feb. 7 interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America”.
“I still can’t believe this happened to us,” Robicheaux said in the interview.
But despite the couple’s initial relief, the case is far from over.
Instead of approving the Orange County District Attorney’s office’s motion to dismiss the case, Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones took the motion “under submission,” which grants the court more time to evaluate evidence. He will rule on the case by April 3, according to KTLA.
Initially, two women individually accused Robicheaux and Riley of drugging and raping them after they met the couple in Newport Beach in 2016. Robicheaux is now accused of five counts of rape and Riley is accused three counts of rape, according to the LA Times, but videos found on Robicheaux ’s phone in 2018 led prosecutors at the time to estimate that there were potentially over 1,000 alleged victims. Former District Attorney Tony Rackauckas claimed the couple would meet women at restaurants and bars and search for others on dating apps like Bumble.
“You don’t know what’s behind what appears to be a perfect smile,” Rackauckas said at a 2018 press conference. Then, current District Attorney Todd Spitzer accused his predecessor of sensationalizing the case for political gain in an election year.
Upon winning election over Rackauckas, Spitzer appointed a new team of two sexual assault prosecutors to review the evidence including thousands of photographs, documents, text messages, social media messages and interview transcripts, as well as hundreds of hours of emails and audio recordings. The prosecutors concluded there was not enough evidence to prove Robicheaux and Riley were guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
“There is not a single piece of evidence or video or photo that shows an unconscious or incapacitated woman being sexually assaulted,” Spitzer said in a Feb. 4 press release of the investigation’s findings.
If convicted, Robicheaux faces up to 40 years in state prison while Riley faces up to 30 years and eight months. Robicheaux, a surgeon, was fired from his job and had his medical license suspended after his arrest. The couple claimed to have been “swingers,” according to CNN, but that they never initiated any sexual contact with women who didn’t consent.
Spitzer publicly apologized to both Robicheaux and Riley and their accusers in the press release, saying the DA’s office did not guarantee a fair trial.
Rackauckas has denied using the case for personal gain and claims he was acting on behalf of the accusers. Judge Jones said that politics has “infected” the trial and more time needs to be devoted to assessing the facts of the case. Jones also noted that assault weapons and drugs, including psilocybin (commonly known as mushrooms) ecstasy, cocaine and GHB, were found in Robicheaux’s home in 2018. “Mixing politics with prosecution gives you a toxic cocktail, and that is part of the problem here,” Jones said during the hearing.
Some of Robicheaux and Riley’s accusers were dismayed to learn of the prosecution’s plans to drop the charges and prepared statements in support of prolonging the investigation.
“I assure you, Your Honor, there was nothing unsure about the moment I was raped,” read one of the accusers in a letter to the court. “I know what happened to me, and I firmly believe there is powerful evidence of a crime.”