Suvechha Sarkar
In September 2013, the untimely demise of Dean Alan Riopelle devastated the residents of Milton, Georgia. What initially appeared to be a medical emergency soon became entwined with a series of disturbing revelations. It pointed towards one of his closest people as the potential individual who was allegedly responsible for his death. CBS’ ’48 Hours: Kiss of Death and the Google Exec’ revisits the case and explores not only his final days but also how another similar case shed light on the alleged killer. It also features interviews with one of the friends of the alleged killer and officials who looked closely at the case.
Dean Riopelle Passed Away Almost a Week After He Was Taken to the Hospital
Dean Alan Riopelle came into this world on March 18, 1960, in Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida. He grew up in a loving household surrounded by the immeasurable love of his parents and his sister. He was described by his family as a multifaceted person. Before he graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1979, he was actively involved with the Honorary Science Society, the Big Red Band, Mu Alpha Theta, Interact Club, and the Stage Band. During his time at high school, Dean was an active participant in the wrestling team and club. He eventually earned a Bachelor’s in Building Construction from the University of Florida in 1982. At the university, he was a member of the Isshinryu karate and boxing team and a part of the Pi Kappa Alpha. Apart from that, Dean was quite passionate about music.
Dean performed in many local bands, among which the most notable was Impotent Sea Snakes, a shock-rock band. He was the cross-dressing lead singer in the band and was known as “13.” Shortly after, he and one of his bandmates opened his first bar, the Masquerade, in Ybor City, located in Tampa, Florida. Around 1990, Dean moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and opened another nightclub, Masquerade. The band frequently performed in his Atlanta nightclub. Alongside him was the band singer whose stage name was “Princess Christy.” They tied the knot in February 1999 on HBO’s ‘Real Sex: Exotic Erotic Wedding.’ Over the years, they welcomed their son and daughter into their lives. Although they later got a divorce, he coached his son’s youth football team. Dean was also an animal lover who began raising monkeys on his property and reportedly wanted to start a zoo there.
Around that time, Dean met Alix Tichelman, and they grew close. By 2012, they lived together at his house in Milton, Georgia, where she helped him care for his children. Although Dean wanted to marry her and bought an engagement ring by August 30, 2013, he was concerned about Alix’s reported heroin addiction. He even reportedly helped her get into a rehab to get clean. On September 7, he reportedly found out that Alix was advertising herself online to men on a dating website. Ultimately, everything changed on September 17 when Alix allegedly heard a crashing sound while she was in the bathroom. When she came out, she found Dean lying on the bedroom floor. She called 911 around five minutes later after claiming to revive him. Ultimately, he was rushed to the hospital, where he slipped into a coma and passed away on September 24, 2013. The autopsy determined his cause of death to be an accidental overdose of heroin, alcohol, and oxycodone.
An Arrest in a Similar Case Raised Suspicions About Dean’s Alleged Killer
When Alix called 911 after finding Dean, she claimed on the call that she thought her boyfriend had overdosed and he wasn’t responding. When officials questioned her, she alleged that she wasn’t aware of how much drug Dean had taken. She also claimed that he was on a “bender the last few days” and had allegedly been drinking and taking heroin that day. Depending on the circumstances and the autopsy report, the authorities reportedly ruled it out as a case of accidental overdose. However, things took a turn when Alix was arrested on July 4, 2014, in California on a similar case where she was charged with the murder of a Google Executive, Forrest Hayes. On November 23, 2013, around two months after Dean passed away, Forrest was found dead on his yacht from a drug overdose.
Three months later, CCTV footage of the yacht cabin revealed that Forrest was last seen with Alix, who reportedly injected the drug. She reportedly brought the drugs and the injections with her. Officials learned that she was present on a dating website, where she advertised herself to meet wealthy men and provide intimate services in return for money. Furthermore, she had also brought heroin in her bag during her arrest. Following the incident, the authorities in Milton, Georgia, reportedly decided to take a second look at Dean’s death. Some of the text messages that Dean reportedly sent to one of Alix’s friends, Todd, revealed that Dean was devastated when he found out about Alix putting herself on the dating website. Todd claimed that Dean allegedly began drinking a lot of alcohol following the incident.
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The Suspected Killer is Yet to be Extradited, Putting the Case on Judicial Hold
One of Dean’s former employees, Khristina Brucker, claimed that she never saw him drinking or using drugs. Further investigation revealed that Alix was reportedly arrested and charged with battery on September 6, 2013, when Dean told the police that she allegedly bit him during an argument. In Forrest’s case, Alix pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and administering drugs on May 19, 2015, and she was sentenced to 6 years in prison. However, she received credit for time served and a sentence reduction for good behavior. She was released on March 20, 2017, and was immediately deported to Canada.
However, in September 2017, a grand jury in Georgia indicted Alix on two counts of felony murder and one count each for the distribution of oxycodone and heroin in Dean’s case. According to the statement of the Fulton County District Attorney’s office in June 2018, Dean’s case is still “active and open.” Furthermore, the prosecutors were reportedly working with the Canadian authorities to arrest and extradite Alix to Georgia so she could face her charges. According to an official report, she was unavailable for prosecution because of a pending grand jury Warrant. As of writing, the case has been reportedly put on judicial hold, and no further progress has been made regarding Alix’s extradition.
