Prosecutors are dropping a high-profile rape case against a doctor who appeared in a reality TV dating show and his girlfriend.
Orthopedic surgeon Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley were charged in 2018 with rape by use of drugs, kidnapping and other crimes. At the time, authorities said the pair plied their victims with drugs and sexually assaulted them when they were incapable of resisting.
Robicheaux was briefly featured on Bravo TV's "Online Dating Rituals of the American Male."
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Tuesday at a press conference that there’s insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
“There is not a single piece of evidence or video or photo that shows an unconscious or incapacitated woman being sexually assaulted. Not one,” Spitzer said.
Spitzer has accused his predecessor Tony Rackauckas of using the case to draw publicity ahead of his reelection campaign.
Michael Fell, an attorney for one of the victims told the Associated Press his client would be devastated from the news.
“My client believes with all of her heart she was sexually assaulted,” he said. “That doesn’t change what she went through.”
According to the Associated Press, five deputies have been fired, nine have received discipline and three remain under investigation in relation to the handling of the evidence for the case.
