Former Prostitute Sentenced for Google Exec's Death

A former prostitute accused of causing the death of a tech executive by injecting him with heroin on his yacht pleaded guilty this morning in Santa Cruz County Superior Court to involuntary manslaughter, according to her defense attorney.

Alix Tichelman, 27, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and administration of a controlled substance after the manslaughter charge was reduced from voluntary manslaughter, according to attorney Lawrence Biggam.

Tichelman was sentenced to six years in prison, with the sentence to be served in county jail. Because of the time she has already served and the way the sentence was calculated, she is only expected to serve three years, one of which she has already completed, Biggam said.

Tichelman was arrested in connection with the death of 51-year-old Forrest Hayes, a former executive with companies including Google, Sun Microsystems and Apple.

Santa Cruz police found Hayes’ body on his yacht at the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor on Nov. 23, 2013, and an autopsy determined he died from an overdose of heroin.

Surveillance video taken from the boat shows Tichelman, who was working as a prostitute, injecting Hayes with heroin.

When he lapsed into unconsciousness, the video shows her collecting her things and leaving without calling 911.

Biggam called today’s plea “consistent with the evidence” and said it reflected a probable jury verdict if the case went to trial.

He called Hayes a “more than willing partner” in the drug use that led to his death, and noted that Hayes had also consumed Valium and alcohol that evening.

“It was an accidental overdose between two consenting adults, coupled with panic and a failure to call 911,” Biggam said. “There was never an intent to harm this guy.”

--Bay City News; Photo Patch Archive

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