In 2016, a math instructor came forward with her story of how a prominent California surgeon had tried to rape her. It was only after she started screaming while on a date at his home that authorities opened an investigation.
They soon discovered incriminating evidence lending credibility to the woman’s story. Here’s her story and what police are now alleging.
Meeting On Tinder
Lauren Hayden, a 24-year-old math and physics instructor, told the Daily Mail that she met a California orthopedic surgeon on Tinder in October 2016. Initially, Lauren thought that the handsome doctor was too good to be true, once they began flirting online.
California Surgeon
Lauren received text messages from Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 38, inviting her over for dinner at his Newport Beach House in Palm Springs. While she was hesitant, the allure of attending a wealthy surgeon’s home, was hard to turn down. To sweeten the date, Robicheaux even offered to cook the meal.
Newport Beach House
In text messages, Robicheaux gave Lauren directions to his apartment and explained that his brother-in-law would be joining them for dinner. Robicheaux even boasted that his cooking was popular. Lauren, who lives in Laguna Beach, said she was excited to meet him.
Getting Ready For The Date
“I got my hair done, I brought a bottle of wine, I wore a nice dress, I looked cute,” she recalled. “He said he wanted to cook dinner, I didn’t think much of it, I was a little concerned about going to a guy’s house on the first date, but I had checked him out online and he seemed okay – he was a surgeon after all,” Lauren told the Daily Mail.
Luxury Home
“When I got there, he had a really nice black Mercedes parked in his garage and his place was beautiful. He had a big TV, a nice kitchen, a wine distiller, a Jacuzzi,” Lauren said. “He was dressed casually in board shorts, which was annoying as I was wearing a dress, but he told me these cool stories about his travels and told me he had created a jetpack and was using it out in Newport Beach,” she added.
Super Creepy
But as soon as Robicheaux’s brother-in-law left, Lauren said her date turned super creepy. “He didn’t seem interested in anything I had to say. I even asked him what he liked in a woman and he replied, ‘face, t*ts and a**,’ which I thought was creepy,” Lauren said. “He had this forced confidence and was coming on strong, and aggressive.”
Coming On Strong
“He tried to get me to massage him, give him a back massage. I rubbed his shoulders a little but I tried to avoid anything sexual,” Lauren recalled. “I thought we were going to get dinner and wine and walk around the peninsula, I didn’t expect overt sexuality.” But the encounter turned sinister when Robicheaux began to make unwanted sexual advances towards Lauren.
Alarmingly Aggressive
After asking Lauren to go in the Jacuzzi, Robicheaux reportedly kept trying to rip off Lauren’s bathing suit, even after she told him to stop. “He was controlling and aggressive and started to scare me,” she said. “He then took me into the bedroom and tried to take my clothes off again.”
Screaming For Help
“I told him he was coming off aggressive and wasn’t being a gentleman and I needed to leave,” Lauren said. “I put my skirt on but he lifted it up and grabbed at my a** and at that point I left.” Two hours after Lauren was at the house, Robicheaux’s neighbor, Coranne Gibson, 81, was woken by screams and a woman yelling, “Help me! Help me!”
Calling 911
She immediately called the police and officers later informed her that the incident was a “private sexual matter.” Gibson’s daughter, Renee Gibson-Milch, 58, said her mother was very disturbed by what she heard. “The screams were so loud, they woke my mom. She was terrified. She woke my dad and they called 911,” Renee said.
Neighbors
“They heard a woman screaming. It must have been in the early hours. They were really, really worried and upset by it. My mom remembers going out into the street in her nightclothes with my dad. Other neighbors came out then, too, and waited for the police to arrive,” Renee said.
Charges
Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley, 31, were arrested and charged with rape by use of drugs, oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance, and other crimes, according to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. Lauren said that Robicheaux told her his sister lived with him at his home, although it’s believed he lived with Riley.
Assault
After narrowly escaping rape, Lauren says, “There’s plenty of guys who want to get straight down to the action but he was more aggressive than the average guy. … Grant was very handsome and so smart, he could have any woman he wanted but he (allegedly) chose to rape them, that’s about power.”
Investigation
“Everyone keeps saying I should feel lucky I wasn’t raped, but what the hell? That’s our standard?” Lauren added. Only after Lauren became conscious in the apartment and started screaming, did authorities start investigating the couple. Prosecutors soon found 1,000 or more videos and pictures on their devices.
Teaming Up
Robicheaux and Riley were accused of teaming up to prey on women by meeting them at bars, drugging them, or coercing them with copious amounts of alcohol, and bringing them back to their home to sexually assault or rape them. Rackauckas said there is even video of the sex acts on one of the two victims who have come forward.
Evidence
Prosecutors believe that based on the pictures and videos found on the pair’s phones, there may be upwards of 1,000 other victims, according to ABC News. Rackauckas added that Robicheaux and Riley are two “clean-cut, good-looking people” who used their looks and charm to “prey” on their victims.
Well-Known Surgeon
Robicheaux is a well-known surgeon in Orange County and he’s even treated numerous sponsored athletes. He was once featured on the Bravo show “Online Dating Rituals of the American Male.” The couple also traveled together to festivals like Burning Man in 2015. They allegedly worked together to bring victims to Robicheaux’s apartment, through supplying them with drugs and alcohol.
Maintaining Their Innocence
Despite the evidence against them, both Robicheaux and Riley maintain their innocence. In a statement issued by the couple, they said that they “unequivocally deny all allegations of non-consensual sex and absolutely deny any allegations that we have ever secretly drugged anyone for the purpose of having sex with them.”
Released On Bail
Robicheaux and Riley were released on bail and they’re scheduled for arraignment on October 24, 2018. Robicheaux faces 82 years to life in prison if convicted as charged, while Riley faces 63 years to life. Police are putting this out there now because they believe there are more victims and they want them to feel comfortable coming forward.
More Victims
The DA’s office officials said they’ve received more than 50 credible leads about potential victims and more than a dozen women and one man have come forward with allegations against the couple, according to KTLA. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim or has information about Robicheaux and Riley can call OCDA Supervising Investigator Eric Wiseman at 714-347-8794.
