Oct 10
Teen Charged in Stabbing Death of Gay Man Lured by Dating App
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
A teenager in Michigan has been charged with, and will be tried as an adult for, the fatal stabbing of a gay man authorities say the teen lured to his death using a gay dating app.
"Detroit police charged Ahmed Al-Alikhan, 17, with first-degree murder, felony murder and unlawful driving away in an automobile, alleging he fatally stabbed Howard Brisendine, 64, and then stole his car after they met on a dating app," NBC News reported.
The Detroit Police Department tweeted about the arrest on Oct. 8, relating that officers had responded to a report about a fatality on Sept. 29. "Upon their arrival, officers located the victim deceased in the living room of the home, suffering from multiple stab wounds," the tweet thread detailed.
The alleged stabbing took place on Sept. 24, the tweet thread detailed.
"It is alleged that Al-Alikhan targeted the victim on an online dating app because he was a member of the LGBTQ community," the post went on to add. The post alleged that Al-Alikhan stole Brisendine's vehicle to escape the scene of the crime. The suspect was arrested in the neighboring town of Dearborn on Oct. 1.
"Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Al-Alikhan will be tried as an adult because he is weeks away from turning 18 and because of 'the heinous nature' of the crime," NBC News reported, adding that Worthy said in a statement, "It is hard to fathom a more planned series of events in this case."
Added Worthy: "Unfortunately, the set of alleged facts are far too common in the LGBTQ community. We will bring justice to Mr. Brisendine."
Despite Worthy's comments, "Maria Miller, an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, said in an email that Al-Alikhan hasn't been officially charged with a hate crime under the facts of the case so far," NBC News noted.
Authorities did not disclose which app Al-Alikhan allegedly used to lure the victim, but, NBC News pointed out, "Most of the largest dating apps, including Grindr, Tinder, Hinge and OK Cupid, require users to be at least 18, though the age of consent in Michigan is 16."
That suggests that the suspect may have posed as someone older than he was in order to use the app and entice the victim.
As the political climate has turned darker, hate crimes targeting minorities – including the queer community – have soared. Citing an annual report from the FBI, NBC News relayed that "In 2022, anti-LGBTQ hate crimes rose 19% over 2021..."
The man who discovered Brisendine's body, Luis Mandujano, was both a neighbor of the victim and the owner of the gay nightclub where Brisendine worked. Mandujano wanted to check on Brisendine after he missed work.
In an emailed statement to NBC News, Mandujano said, "Howard was a talkative person with a warm laugh who welcomed you to our venue at the door with laughable comments."
Mandujano has set up a GoFundMe to pay for funeral costs and pay off bills that the victim owed, the news report said. As of the morning of Oct. 10, the fund had drawn $781 in donations toward a goal of $5,000.
"We don't want to take advantage of the gofundme generosity but primarily want people to know that Howard was a victim of a brutal murder hate crime for being gay," Mandujano said.
"Any leftover money will be donated to local LGBTQ nonprofit groups to combat hate, he said," NBC News detailed.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
