Naman Shrestha
In CBS’ ’48 Hours: Kiss of Death and the Google Exec,’ the primary focus is on the mystery surrounding the untimely and sudden demise of a Google Executive named Forrest Hayes on his yacht. Thanks to the CCTV footage of his yacht, the police were led to Alix Tichelman, who was with the deceased man in his final moments. When the detectives delved deep into her life, they uncovered some dark secrets that raised their suspicions. Not only was she convicted for Forrest’s death, but she was also linked to the demise of her ex-boyfriend.
Alix Tichelman’s Fiancé Died of a Heroin Overdose
Alix Tichelman was one of the two daughters of Leslieann and Bart Tichelman, who was a CEO for a tech company. Growing up alongside her sister, Monica, who went on to become an investment counselor, in an Atlanta suburb, Alix actively participated in different sports and even won writing awards. Described as a smart yet troubled individual, she allegedly had eating disorders and began taking drugs. She attended the Hyde School in Maine, but only for a few months. With dreams of becoming a model, she then relocated to San Francisco in her early 20s and worked as an exotic dancer at strip clubs like Larry Flint’s Hustler and the Condor.
Not long after, she returned to Atlanta, where she met Dean Riopelle, who was the owner of The Masquerade and a former cross-dressing singer for the rock band, The Impotent Sea Snakes. The two got into a relationship and were reportedly engaged to be married in 2013. On the side, Alix was advertising herself on online platforms, without Dean’s knowledge. However, when he discovered her profile on September 7, 2013, he reportedly flipped out and turned to alcohol for escape. About 10 days later, Dean died of a heroin overdose, with painkillers and alcohol in his system as well. According to Alix, she called 911 after she found him unconscious on the bedroom floor of his North Atlanta residence.
Alix Tichelman Was Trapped by the Detectives After Forrest Hayes’ Mysterious Death
Around late October 2013, Alix went to California and resumed advertising herself online. That’s when she met Forrest Hayes, a Google executive and a married father of five, at a dating website called Seeking Arrangement. On the fateful night of November 22, she went to Forrest’s yacht, called the Escape, in the Santa Cruz Harbor to supposedly get high off heroin. However, when she injected him with a dose of heroin, the 51-year-old man lost consciousness, while Alix reportedly tried to wake him up. In a state of panic, she fled the scene, allegedly hoping that he had just passed out. It turned out that Forrest had died of a heroin overdose.
As the detectives identified Alix through the surveillance footage of the yacht, they zeroed in on her as she made plans to leave town and head out to the South. As time was running out, an undercover detective, who was codenamed Sebastian, made a fake profile on Seeking Arrangement and set up a meeting with Alix at a secluded resort in Santa Cruz County. As she went prepared with heroin in her bag, expecting to hook up with Sebastian, she was taken by surprise when she learned that she had been trapped. She was then arrested for prostitution and charged with the murder of Forrest Hayes and drug possession.
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Alix Tichelman Has Also Been Indicted For Dean Riopelle’s Death
On May 19, 2015, Alix Tichelman pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and administering drugs. She expressed her remorse through one of her defense attorneys, who stated, “Miss Tichelman did not want to bring the Hayes family through a public trial, nor did she want to put her very own supportive family through a public trial… We would like to take this opportunity to convey Miss Tichelman’s sincere apology to the Hayes family. She never in this world intended for this to happen. This is in no form intentional, malicious, or anything of that sort. It was an accident and panic, and she is so, so sorry for it.”
Eventually, she was sentenced to six years in prison for her involvement in the death of Forrest Hayes. Taking into account the time she had been behind bars after her arrest, she was released in 2017 and deported to Canada. The following year, in June 2018, she was interviewed by KSBW and got the chance to tell her side of the story. She claimed that Forrest had hired her to be on the yacht on the fateful day and was unaware that he had taken valium and alcohol earlier. “He seemed perfectly sober to me. If I had known both of those pieces of information, I would have never let him take the drugs,” she said. She also reportedly stopped using drugs during her last few months behind bars.
Expressing her gratitude for her family, she said, “I was prepared to go to prison for 15 years. I have the ability to see the light at the end of the tunnel, that comes from my family.” Leading a clean and sober life in her native land, she was working in the hospitality industry at the time of the interview. She was also on her way to becoming a social worker, specializing in assisting individuals who struggle to transition back into society after serving time in prison. A few days later, she was officially indicted for the 2013 death of her former boyfriend, Dean Riopelle. At the time, the Georgia authorities were working with Canadian officials to have Alix deported to the US.
