A 17-year-old Detroit man was charged with first-degree murder in the September 24 stabbing death of a 64-year-old gay man he met through an online dating app.
According to a statement released by the Wayne County, Michigan, prosecutor’s office, Ahmed Al Alihan allegedly stole the victim’s car keys inside Brisendine’s Detroit home and stole the vehicle. He is suspected of fatally stabbing her.
Police arrived at the scene at around 4:04 p.m. on Sept. 29 after receiving reports that a body had been found in the home, the statement said. When police arrived, they found Brisentin dead in the living room with multiple stab wounds, the statement said.
“The defendant allegedly targeted the victim on an online dating app because she was a member of the LGBTQ community,” prosecutors said in a statement.
“Furthermore, on September 24, 2024, at the victim’s residence in the 6000 block of Minnock Street in Detroit, the defendant fatally stabbed the victim multiple times, then took the victim’s car keys and left the scene. This is his car.”
It further stated that Al Alihan was first taken into custody by police in Dearborn, Michigan, and then turned over to Detroit police on October 1st. The statement did not say how police learned that al-Alihan was the alleged perpetrator. .
In addition to first-degree murder, Al Alihan is charged with felony murder and unlawful operation of a motor vehicle.
“It is difficult to infer a more premeditated sequence of events in this case,” prosecutor Kim Worthy said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this set of allegations is all too common in the LGBTQ community,” Worthy said. “We will bring justice to Mr. Brisendine. The defendant is 17 years and 11 months old and is only weeks away from becoming an adult offender under the law.”
She added: “As a result of that and the heinous nature of this crime, we will seek to try him as an adult.”
A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said the agency had not classified the incident as a hate crime, but that regardless of that designation, a conviction for first-degree murder could result in a life sentence. Ta. Spokesperson Maria Ruiz said prosecutors initially did not release the names of the dating apps where the two met, but that the names would be revealed in court as the case progresses.
Detroit’s NBC affiliate WDIV-TV reported that Brizendine was found dead by Luis Mandujano. Mandujano lives near where Brizendine lived and is the owner of Gigs, a gay bar in Detroit where Brizendine worked as a doorman. Mandujano said she went to Brizendine’s home on Sept. 29 because she didn’t show up for work and her car wasn’t home, NBC reported.
Mandujano, who is organizing a GoFundMe fundraiser for Brizendine, said in a message on the GoFundMe site that Brizendine worked as a beloved doorman at Gigi’s Bar.
“We will do everything we can to honor Mr. Howard’s life while euthanizing him,” Mandujano said in a GoFundMe message. “He left the physical world in a precarious state at the hands of a monster who took his life because he was gay. Let’s not let hatred win!”
In response to a Facebook message from the Washington Blade, a spokesperson for Gigi’s said the money raised through the GoFundMe effort will be used to pay for Brizendine’s funeral expenses and “remaining bills.” The spokesperson declined to name names, but added: “Excess money will be donated to local LGBTQ nonprofits that fight hate.”
You can visit the GoFundMe site here.
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