Woman charged in tech exec's death probed in earlier heroin death

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Alix Tichelman, 26, left, and her attorney, Athena Reis, in Santa Cruz Superior Court in July where Tichelman pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, destroying evidence and several other charges in the November heroin overdose death of Google executive Forrest Hayes.

(Monica Davey / EPA)

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Alix Tichelman looks back toward her family in the public seating area after her arraignment in Santa Cruz County Superior Court in July.

(Shmuel Thaler / Associated Press)

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Public defenders Jerry Christensen, far left, Larry Biggam and Athena Reis answer reporters’ questions at the Santa Cruz County Courthouse after their client, Alix Tichelman, was arraigned in the death of Forrest Hayes, a Google executive, by heroin overdose in November.

(Shmuel Thaler / Associated Press)

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Alix Tichelman, left, confers with public defender Diane August during a court appearance in Santa Cruz Superior Court on July 9. (Shmuel Thaler / Associated Press)

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A car sits in the driveway of the Folsom house that is listed as the residence of Bart Tichelman, father of Alix Tichelman, who has been charged in the death of Silicon Valley executive Forrest Hayes. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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A message is taped to the door of the Folsom home that is listed as the residence of Bart Tichelman, father of Alix Tichelman, who is a suspect in the death of Forrest Hayes. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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This undated photo provided by NorthFulton.com shows Dean Riopelle, 53, who died of a heroin overdose in September 2013 in Milton, Ga., about two months before tech executive Forrest Hayes died of an overdose on his yacht in Santa Cruz. (Jonathan Copsey / Associated Press)

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The house where bar owner Dean Riopelle overdosed Sept. 17, 2013, while at home with his girlfriend, Alix Tichelman, in Milton, Ga. (Ron Harris / Associated Press)

By Joseph Serna

July 10, 2014 3:59 PM PT

A day after Santa Cruz prosecutors charged a suspected escort in the fatal heroin overdose of a Silicon Valley executive, police officials in Georgia said Thursday they were reexamining another drug overdose case in which she was a key witness.

Alix Tichelman, 26, is being held in a Santa Cruz County jail, accused of administering heroin to 51-year-old Forrest Hayes, a former Sun Microsystems, Apple and Google executive, on his 50-foot yacht “The Escape” last November.

That case has prompted police in Milton, Ga., to reexamine the September 2013 death of 53-year-old Dean Riopelle, which occurred under somewhat similar circumstances. Tichelman told police at the time that she was in the shower when she heard a “loud crash” then found Riopelle unconcious.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner determined he died from an overdose of heroin and alcohol. The death was ruled accidental and Tichelman moved to the Sacramento suburb of Folsom soon after.

Officials in Georgia stressed they have no new evidence but are going take a harder look at the case.

“We are re-examining the case to make sure that we did not miss anything,” said Milton police Capt. Shawn McCarty.

Santa Cruz police said Tichelman maintained a clientele of more than 200 “wealthy and influential” customers -- many of whom she met through a website dedicated to connecting the wealthy with attractive young women. Hayes was among her clients, police said.

Authorities allege that after Tichelman purportedly fixed a dose of heroin for Hayes and injected him with it, he became unconscious and died.

Police and prosecutors said what happened next was caught on a security tape. After he collapsed, Tichelman allegedly moved his body around for seven minutes cleaning up -- picking up drugs, needles and straightening out the bed, according to police. She lifted his limp arm then dropped it and stepped over his body to finish off a glass of wine and then tried to wipe off her fingerprints, officials say.

Authorities are quick to note that they’re not claiming Tichelman deliberately killed Hayes, but that she intentionally avoided helping him to save herself.

“The only person Alix Tichelman cares about is Alex Tichelman,” said Santa Cruz Deputy Chief Steve Clark.

Hayes’ body was found the next morning by the ship’s captain.

Clark said that when Tichelman was arrested last week, she had a needle full of heroin in her purse. Authorities lured her to a swanky Santa Cruz hotel by posing as a client willing to pay $1,000 for her company and said they believe she planned to get high during the encounter, he added.

Tichelman is charged with manslaughter, several drug related felonies and destroying evidence. She is scheduled to be arraigned July 16.

Neither she nor her attorney could be reached for comment.