This browser does not support the Video element.
Prosecutor: Teen accused of fatally stabbing Detroit man for being gay
The 17-year-old and the 64-year-old man allegedly met via an online dating app. The teen has been charged as an adult.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A 17-year-old is accused of fatally stabbing a 64-year-old man in Detroit after they allegedly met on a dating app.
Police believe Detroit teen Ahmed Al-Alikhan targeted Howard Brisendine, also of Detroit, because he was a member of the LGBTQ+ community, according to a Tuesday release from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
Al-Alikhan is less than a month away from turning 18. Prosecutor Kym Worthy said her office has charged the suspect as an adult with first degree murder, felony murder, and unlawful driving away of an automobile.
The incident took place on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Brisendine's Detroit home in the 6000 block of Minock Street, near Evergreen and Ford Road.
It is alleged that Al-Alikhan stabbed Brisendine several times, fatally injuring him, before fleeing in the victim's vehicle.
Around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, Brisendine's boss and landlord, Luis Mandujano, found the victim's body and called 911. Officers arrived at the scene and found Brisendine dead in his living room, with multiple stab wounds.
Ahmed Al-Alikhan during his arraignment on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
"Al-Alikhan was taken into custody by the Dearborn Police Department and turned over to the Detroit Police Department on October 1," according to the prosecutor's office.
Al-Alikhan is expected to be tried as an adult as well.
"It is hard to fathom a more planned series of events in this case. Unfortunately, the set of alleged facts are far too common in the LGBTQ community," Worthy said.
While Brisendine was also a registered sex offender, the prosecutor's office did not comment on that in the release. In 1996, he was convicted of child molestation in Georgia.
Brisendine worked at Gigi’s, a gay nightclub on W Warren Avenue in Detroit. When he did not show up for work, Mandujano said he became concerned and went to check on him – that is when he discovered his dead body.
While he was unaware of Brisendine's past offenses, the boss and landlord said that is not a reason for anyone to kill someone.
"The impression that I got was he was a welcoming man," Mandujano said. "What happened to Howard, who was in my opinion a good man and a good person, he was targeted just because and could be because he was gay, and that’s sad."
Howard Brisendine, 64.
Al-Alikhan has been arraigned and is currently in jail, awaiting his next court appearance.
The Fair Michigan Justice Project (FMJP) is helping in this case. FMJP provides assistance to Michigan's law enforcement and prosecutors when it comes to solving serious crimes committed against members of the LGBTQ+ community.
"We encourage everyone to maintain vigilance, and follow recommended safety tips, particularly when using dating apps," said the president of FMJP, Alanna Maguire. "Always meet a potential date in public, use your own vehicle or make use of a ride-sharing app (like Uber or Lyft), tell a friend or loved one that you are planning to meet a date and share that person's name and contact information. Make sure to save contact details in screenshots to capture the person's name and chat details, should you ever find yourself a victim of a crime. Keep your dating profile and picture free from identifying personal information like your home address."