(07-10) 07:57 PDT SANTA CRUZ -- Police called it murder. A married Google executive and a high-priced call girl allegedly had an encounter in November on a Santa Cruz yacht that left the executive dead from a heroin overdose.

But as the case came to light Wednesday and made national headlines, Santa Cruz County prosecutors charged the purported prostitute, Alix Catherine Tichelman of Folsom (Sacramento County), with manslaughter.

The move suggested they don't believe they can prove an intent to kill, even though authorities say Tichelman was caught on video injecting her client with heroin, stepping over him as he fell unconscious, finishing a glass of wine, and closing the boat's blinds before slipping away.

Tichelman, 26, had been arrested Friday after police lured her to the Santa Cruz area by posing as a customer and offering her $1,000 for sex, authorities said.

On Wednesday, she appeared in court to face the manslaughter charge, along with counts of transporting drugs and destroying evidence. She remained in jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail, and was scheduled to return to court next Wednesday for arraignment.

Case surfaces months later

The victim, 51-year-old Forrest Timothy Hayes, died Nov. 23 on his 50-foot yacht, Escape, in the Santa Cruz harbor, according to city police Deputy Chief Steve Clark. The case didn't make news at the time, even as police began a criminal investigation.

According to an online memorial site, Hayes had worked at tech companies including Sun Microsystems, Apple and finally Google. He was born in Dearborn, Mich., was married 17 years and had five children, according to his obituary.

"I was really devastated when I heard about it," Todd Zion, who worked at Google for a short time under Hayes, told The Chronicle on Wednesday. "He was a great boss. I never had a chance to thank him."

An unidentified person wrote on the online memorial page, "There are simply no words to describe this. I had the unique opportunity to work for Forrest at Apple and Google. He is one of the best bosses I have had - caring and thoughtful."

Santa Cruz police said Tichelman had an "ongoing prostitution relationship" with the victim, met him the night he died and injected him with heroin. Footage from a security camera on the yacht showed Hayes "suffering medical complications and going unconscious," officials said.

Rather than call for help from authorities, Tichelman allegedly gathered her belongings, including drugs and paraphernalia, and at one point stepped over Hayes' body to "finish a glass of wine," before lowering the blinds to conceal the body and leaving.

'Similar circumstances'

Police said they had learned of a second case in another state with "similar circumstances" and were investigating Tichelman's possible involvement.

The police news release said Tichelman "works as a high-priced outcall prostitute and meets her clients through a website, 'Seeking Arrangement.' During interviews, Ms. Tichelman boasted of over 200 client relationships."

According to online profiles of Tichelman, she is from Atlanta and studied journalism at Georgia State University. She called herself a makeup artist, a model and a dancer.

A modeling page on Facebook associated with Tichelman contains dozens of pictures of her posing seductively in racy outfits. In one post she wrote a poem titled "Heroin" with the opening line, "This private downward spiral - this suffocating black hole."

Kara Heminger, a 28-year-old Atlanta resident, said Wednesday that she and Tichelman were friends and modeled together. The two attended a Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson concert together in Atlanta in 2012.

Heminger, though, said the relationship was often tumultuous and that the two had a falling-out and haven't spoken in two weeks.

"I knew she had problems. It was like she was running from something," Heminger said. "I just thought she was back on drugs or something. A lot of her friends are very, very shocked about the accusations."

Santa Cruz police said they hurried to arrest Tichelman last week after learning that she might leave the area.

On her Facebook page, Tichelman wrote June 30 that she was "coming home to the filthy, nasty, dirty South! Hoping to start the drive back to Atlanta at the beginning of next week. Can't wait to see everyone. It's celebration time y'all!"

Types of manslaughter

Laurie Levenson, a criminal law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said prosecutors typically downgrade charges to manslaughter when they "don't think they can prove malice, which means she realized the risk that he would die and disregarded it."

Levenson said authorities could pursue an involuntary manslaughter charge, or what some experts refer to as a "clueless killing" involving recklessness.

The more serious charge of voluntary manslaughter often refers to a death in the heat of passion or during a sudden quarrel.

Assistant District Attorney Rafael Vazquez said police are still investigating the case and that the charges may change.