'Call Girl Killer' Faces Extradition In Georgia Death Case
ATLANTA (AP) — Prosecutors in Georgia said they'll seek to extradite a woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a Google executive's overdose death so she can face separate charges in the deadly overdose of her boyfriend near Atlanta.
Alix Tichelman, 30, was deported to Canada last year after serving a California sentence for giving a fatal heroin shot to Google executive Forrest Hayes on his yacht in November 2013.
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A Georgia grand jury in September indicted Tichelman on charges of felony murder and distribution of heroin and oxycodone in the September 2013 death of Dean Riopelle, who owned a popular Atlanta music venue. The indictment says Tichelman caused Riopelle's death by giving him drugs while he was drunk.
Court records don't list a lawyer for Tichelman, and a number for her couldn't immediately be found. Reached by phone, her mother said she had no comment. No one responded to messages left at numbers listed for other family members.
A statement this week from the office of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said the case is "still active and open" and that prosecutors "will be working with Canadian authorities" to arrest and extradite Tichelman. Spokesman Chris Hopper wouldn't say what, if any, steps have been taken to have her returned to Georgia.
A notice in the court file dated Sept. 30 says Tichelman is unavailable for prosecution "Due to Issuance of a Grand Jury Warrant," and that the case is therefore placed on judicial hold.
A California judge in 2015 sentenced Tichelman to five years in prison after she pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and administering drugs. With credit for time served and for good behavior, she was released after serving about half her sentence.
Hayes hired Tichelman, whom authorities said was a prostitute, in November 2013. Tichelman injected Hayes with heroin on his yacht and left without seeking help when he passed out, authorities say.
Surveillance video at the Santa Cruz harbor shows her casually stepping over Hayes' body, finishing a glass of wine and lowering a blind before leaving the yacht, police said. Santa Cruz Deputy District Attorney Rafael Vazquez said the video also showed her panicking and attempting to revive Hayes.
Hayes' body was discovered the next day and Tichelman was arrested eight months later.
About two months before Hayes' death, she made a panicked call to 911 as Riopelle suffered an overdose at their home in Milton, just outside Atlanta.
Riopelle's sister said in an interview after Tichelman's arrest in California that the pair had been dating for about two and a half years and lived together.
Riopelle owned the Masquerade in Atlanta, a popular venue for rock, punk and metal acts.
In September 2013, Tichelman called police, saying Riopelle threw her to the ground, according to a police report. Riopelle told officers Tichelman had taken pills and drank alcohol, and had been stage diving and exposing her breasts that night at the Masquerade. He said he took her home because he didn't approve.
Riopelle also told officers that she bit him on the finger and threatened to hit herself and tell police Riopelle had beaten her. A neighbor confirmed hearing Tichelman say that. She was charged with battery and arrested; Riopelle was not.
Less than two weeks later, Tichelman called 911 in a panic, saying her boyfriend had overdosed and wouldn't respond.
Tichelman tried for five minutes to revive him before calling 911, according to a police report. She said she had been in the shower when she heard a crash and came out to find Riopelle unconscious. Tichelman said she did not know how much drugs Riopelle had taken, but that he had been on a "bender the last few days," according to the police report.
Riopelle died at a hospital a week later. An autopsy report listed his death as an accidental overdose of heroin, oxycodone and alcohol.
After Tichelman was arrested in Northern California, police in Georgia said they'd take another look at Riopelle's death.
In recent interviews with KSBW-TV, Tichelman described what happened with Hayes on the yacht. She said she thought he'd just passed out. She said she wanted to make it look like she hadn't been there so as not to cause problems for him with his wife, police or his job.
"I wish I could go back and change what happened, but I can't and that's something that I have to live with and something that his family has to live with," she told the television station.
There's no mention of Riopelle or the Georgia indictment in the published parts of the interview.
Tichelman told the television station she's clean and sober and working a normal job in Canada. She said she's in an "amazing relationship" and is very close to her family.
"Really, things couldn't be better," she said. "I just try to stay positive and make the right choices."
