A Michigan teenager charged in the stabbing death of a gay Detroit man will be tried as an adult, in part because of the “heinous nature of the crime,” authorities said Tuesday.
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.
Al-Alikhan targeted Brisendine because he was a gay, police alleged Tuesday in a statement on social media. He then stabbed Brisendine at his house on Sept. 24, took his car keys and left with his vehicle, police said.
It’s not clear which dating app Al-Alikhan used or whether he shared his real information when he connected with Brisendine. 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.
Luis Mandujano, who lives across the street from Brisendine and owns Gigis, a gay nightclub where Brisendine worked as a doorman, went to Brisendine’s house on Sept. 29 after he didn’t show up for work and saw that his car wasn’t at his house, according to NBC affiliate WDIV of Detroit. Mandujano said he entered Brisendine’s house, discovered his body and then called police, who found that he had multiple stab wounds.
Police in nearby Dearborn arrested Al-Alikhan and turned him over to Detroit authorities on Oct. 1, Detroit police said in a statement.
Brisendine’s brother, Harvey Brisendine, told WDIV he could identify his brother only by a tattoo on his arm because his face was unrecognizable.
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.
“It is hard to fathom a more planned series of events in this case,” Worthy said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the set of alleged facts are far too common in the LGBTQ community. We will bring justice to Mr. Brisendine.”
Hate crimes against LGBTQ people have risen in recent years, according to the FBI’s annual crime report. In 2022, anti-LGBTQ hate crimes rose 19% over 2021, according to FBI data released last year.
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.
Asked why he thought his brother was killed, Harvey Brisendine didn’t hesitate to say he thinks it was a hate crime.
Detroit Police Sgt. Rebecca McKay told WDIV that the investigation “is heading in that direction,” saying that “there is some evidence that indicates that this could have been a hate crime.
Detroit police didn’t reply to a request for additional comment, and it wasn’t not clear whether Al-Alikhan had legal representation.
As the investigation continues, Mandujano has started a GoFundMe campaign that will go toward funeral expenses and Brisendine’s remaining bills. Any leftover money will be donated to local LGBTQ nonprofit groups to combat hate, he said.
“Howard was a talkative person with a warm laugh who welcomed you to our venue at the door with laughable comments,” Mandujano said in an email. “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.”
