Alix Tichelman Guilty, A California prostitute pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday in the death of a playboy Google executive whom she injected with a fatal dose of heroin aboard his yacht.
Alix Tichelman, 28, confessed to all charges in the six-count indictment as the case headed for a preliminary hearing in Santa Cruz County Superior Court. A judge sentenced her to six years behind bars.The high-priced call girl clearly didn't mean to kill Forrest Hayes in November 2013, a prosecutor told the Daily News. The two were partying together, and Tichelman helped the married father of five shoot what turned out to be a lethal amount of heroin. Tichelman panicked as Hayes slumped to the floor, slapping his chest and calling his name in a frantic effort to rouse him, surveillance video showed.
"At one point, she wraps her arms around him, almost like a hug, and she's cheek to cheek," Santa Cruz Assistant District Attorney Rafael Vazquez told the News, describing new details of the unreleased footage.
Tichelman was seen crying and scurrying through the boat before she slammed a glass of wine and bolted, abandoning Hayes as she fled, the video revealed.
Vazquez defended prosecutors' decision not to file murder charges, despite pressure from critics who had described the killing as a calculated plot to end the wealthy businessman's life. The evidence painted a much different picture of a chaotic, unintentional overdose, he said. Tichelman's primary sin was leaving without calling for help, he said.
"This isn't hide the ball," Vazquez said. "This isn't making it worse than the way it is."
Previous characterizations of the video described Tichelman callously stepping over the dying man's body before sitting down to sip her drink and gather her belongings. She was clearly distraught, Vazquez said, although he thinks the judge was too easy on her. Tichelman will be allowed to serve her six-year sentence in a county jail, instead of eight years in the state penitentiary prosecutors wanted.
"I believe when you're responsible for the death of a human being, you should serve your time in the state penitentiary ," Vazquez said.Defense attorney Larry Biggam told the Associated Press Tichelman would probably serve only three years of the sentence and was relieved to have the case settled. She decided to plead guilty after reviewing the evidence, he said.
"It was an accidental overdose between two consenting adults," he told the AP.
Tichelman made no statements during Tuesday's appearance, answering only "guilty" in response to the charges. She also confessed to administering drugs, prostitution and possession of heroin.
Alix Tichelman, 28, confessed to all charges in the six-count indictment as the case headed for a preliminary hearing in Santa Cruz County Superior Court. A judge sentenced her to six years behind bars.The high-priced call girl clearly didn't mean to kill Forrest Hayes in November 2013, a prosecutor told the Daily News. The two were partying together, and Tichelman helped the married father of five shoot what turned out to be a lethal amount of heroin. Tichelman panicked as Hayes slumped to the floor, slapping his chest and calling his name in a frantic effort to rouse him, surveillance video showed.
"At one point, she wraps her arms around him, almost like a hug, and she's cheek to cheek," Santa Cruz Assistant District Attorney Rafael Vazquez told the News, describing new details of the unreleased footage.
Tichelman was seen crying and scurrying through the boat before she slammed a glass of wine and bolted, abandoning Hayes as she fled, the video revealed.
Vazquez defended prosecutors' decision not to file murder charges, despite pressure from critics who had described the killing as a calculated plot to end the wealthy businessman's life. The evidence painted a much different picture of a chaotic, unintentional overdose, he said. Tichelman's primary sin was leaving without calling for help, he said.
"This isn't hide the ball," Vazquez said. "This isn't making it worse than the way it is."
Previous characterizations of the video described Tichelman callously stepping over the dying man's body before sitting down to sip her drink and gather her belongings. She was clearly distraught, Vazquez said, although he thinks the judge was too easy on her. Tichelman will be allowed to serve her six-year sentence in a county jail, instead of eight years in the state penitentiary prosecutors wanted.
"I believe when you're responsible for the death of a human being, you should serve your time in the state penitentiary ," Vazquez said.Defense attorney Larry Biggam told the Associated Press Tichelman would probably serve only three years of the sentence and was relieved to have the case settled. She decided to plead guilty after reviewing the evidence, he said.
"It was an accidental overdose between two consenting adults," he told the AP.
Tichelman made no statements during Tuesday's appearance, answering only "guilty" in response to the charges. She also confessed to administering drugs, prostitution and possession of heroin.
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