A Michigan teenager charged in the stabbing death of a gay Detroit man will be tried as an adult, in part because of the \u201cheinous nature of the crime,\u201d authorities said Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Al-Alikhan targeted Brisendine because he was a gay, police alleged Tuesday in a statement on social media<\/a>. He then stabbed Brisendine at his house on Sept. 24, took his car keys and left with his vehicle, police said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luis Mandujano, who lives across the street from Brisendine and owns Gigis, a gay nightclub where Brisendine worked as a doorman, went to Brisendine\u2019s house on Sept. 29 after he didn\u2019t show up for work and saw that his car wasn\u2019t at his house, according to NBC affiliate WDIV<\/a> of Detroit. Mandujano said he entered Brisendine\u2019s house, discovered his body and then called police, who found that he had multiple stab wounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Police in nearby Dearborn arrested Al-Alikhan and turned him over to Detroit authorities on Oct. 1, Detroit police said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brisendine\u2019s brother, Harvey Brisendine, told WDIV he could identify his brother only by a tattoo on his arm because his face was unrecognizable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 \u201cthe heinous nature\u201d of the crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is hard to fathom a more planned series of events in this case,\u201d Worthy said in a statement. \u201cUnfortunately, the set of alleged facts are far too common in the LGBTQ community. We will bring justice to Mr. Brisendine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hate crimes against LGBTQ people have risen in recent years, according to the FBI\u2019s annual crime report. In 2022, anti-LGBTQ hate crimes rose 19% over 2021<\/a>, according to FBI data released last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maria Miller, an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Wayne County Prosecutor\u2019s Office, said in an email that Al-Alikhan hasn\u2019t been officially charged with a hate crime under the facts of the case so far. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked why he thought his brother was killed, Harvey Brisendine didn\u2019t hesitate to say he thinks it was a hate crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Detroit Police Sgt. Rebecca McKay told WDIV that the investigation \u201cis heading in that direction,\u201d saying that \u201cthere is some evidence that indicates that this could have been a hate crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Detroit police didn\u2019t reply to a request for additional comment, and it wasn\u2019t not clear whether Al-Alikhan had legal representation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As the investigation continues, Mandujano has started a GoFundMe campaign that will go toward funeral expenses and Brisendine\u2019s remaining bills. Any leftover money will be donated to local LGBTQ nonprofit groups to combat hate, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHoward was a talkative person with a warm laugh who welcomed you to our venue at the door with laughable comments,\u201d Mandujano said in an email. \u201cWe don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n