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Michael Hrankowski, DDS || Dr. Michael Hrankowski imakeyousmile.com | Friends of Michael Sobell House, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood -... michaelsobellhouse.co.uk | Michael J. Howorth IBD GEM Project: Welcome to the Michael J. Howorth... gemproject.ca |
Michael Alig (born South Bend, Indiana, April 29, 1966) is the co-founding member of the notorious Club Kids, a group of young clubgoers led by long time best friend James St. James and Alig in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996 Alig was convicted of the murder of Andre "Angel" Melendez[3] in a confrontation over a drug debt.[1]
[edit] Underground club sceneAlig moved to New York to attend college at Fordham University from which he later dropped out. He began working at Danceteria in 1983 as a bus boy. A natural at throwing parties with little or no resources he soon began to rise in New York's party scene.[1] Alig was mentored by socialite James St. James and club owner Peter Gatien while rising in popularity and prominence in the national underground club scene. Alig was also influential in the early promotion of his then boyfriend DJ Keoki[4] who studied under DJ Brian Telfair, top DJ at the time in Alig's and Gatien's clubs, most notably the New York club The Limelight, owned by Gatien and designed by Ari Bahat.[5] In Sept 1995 the Limelight was closed by the police on suspicion of drug trafficking[6], but subsequently reopened several times during the 1990s.[7] In September 2003, it reopened under the name "Avalon." [edit] Alig's Club KidsAlig's other protegés included Gitsie, Jennytalia, Robert "Freez" Riggs, Richie Rich, RuPaul, Amanda Lepore, and many other Club Kid personalities. The Club Kids' outrageousness resulted in their appearing on the news and the television talk show circuit—they appeared on the Geraldo Rivera show five times. [edit] Murder of Angel Melendez"Angel" Melendez worked at the Limelight, and after the bar's closure by federal agents, Angel was fired. With no job he moved into Alig's apartment.[6] Increasingly affected by substance abuse, Alig and his friend Robert "Freez" Riggs murdered Angel after an argument over many things including a long-standing drug debt.[8] Alig has stated many times that he was so high on drugs that the events are quite cloudy. On December 9, 1996, Robert "Freez" Riggs confessed to police that on March 17, 1996:[6]
Then according to Freez he hit Melendez a total of three times on the head. Then Alig grabbed a pillow and tried to smother him.[8] When Melendez was unconscious Freez went to the other room and when he came back he noticed a broken syringe on the floor. However, Alig's story was that he injected Angel with Drano, while Freez claims that Alig poured it down Angel's throat and duct-taped his mouth closed.[8] After a few days, the body began to smell. Alig injected himself with heroin, cut the legs off the corpse, and stuffed him in a box and afterward threw the corpse into the Hudson River.[8] [edit] Investigation of the disappearanceMichael Alig went around telling people he was in fact the killer[verification needed], but there was so much drug use being done that no one believed it; even if they did, nobody wanted to be the one to turn him in. Soon the claims, along with the "disappearance" of Meléndez just became rumors. While Alig was in rehab, those rumors were reported on in the Village Voice by Michael Musto. Although no names were used, it stated the details of the murder. Over the coming weeks, the Village Voice continued to report and make accusations about the murder of "Angel" Melendez; however the police department was not that concerned about the disappearance of a Colombian drug dealer.[9] Through September the police had still not questioned Alig about the murder; they were focused on his business partner Peter Gatien[citation needed], wanting Alig to testify against him.[citation needed] Since several months had passed many people believed Alig would get away with it, until a dismembered torso was pulled from the Hudson River at Staten Island.[10] James St. James recounts how Angel's brother was baffled by the callousness and indifference both of the police and of the scenesters Angel had considered friends.[9] In the fall of 1996, to escape the scrutiny of the media, Michael fled New York. He and some of his close friends took a road trip to Denver, Colorado, stopping in Chicago and his hometown, South Bend. While in South Bend he saw his mother for the first time in three years.[6] Once in Denver he missed New York too much and moved back into the city, trying to make a comeback with his new night club, Honey Trap.[6] In November 1996, the coroner reported the body had been identified as that of known drug dealer "Angel" Meléndez.[citation needed] Every rumor was confirmed by the appearance of Angel's body, and the police could not ignore it. Alig fled NY, staying in a hotel in New Jersey with his new boyfriend, Brian McCauly, before the police surrounded the location.[6] Alig went quietly and gave a full confession, but pleaded not guilty to the charge of first degree murder because he felt he was attacked and only fought back in self-defense.[citation needed] However, his lawyers felt because of his strong drug use and the dismemberment of the body he would be found guilty.[citation needed] In December 1997, Alig and his accomplice Robert Riggs pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison for Meléndez's death. While in prison, Michael Alig told Michael Musto, who had first reported that Alig had committed the 1996 murder of drug dealer Angel Meléndez:
[edit] PrisonWhile incarcerated, Alig is prisoner #97A-6595[1][12]. While in the New York prison system, Alig has been moved around from prison to prison, including time in the mental ward at Rikers Island.[13] He was recently moved to Southport Correctional Facility in Pine City, New York, after being caught using drugs at Eastern Correctional Facility. Michael Alig will be in SHU until the end of December. Afterwards he will be sent to another Prison. [2] [edit] ParoleAlig became eligible for parole in 2006. His first parole request, in October 2006, was denied allegedly after parole officers watched the fictional movie based on Alig's life Party Monster, starring Macaulay Culkin[1]. He was again denied parole in July 2008, and had his conditional release date in March 2010. Due to him receiving another ticket for prescription drug use, Michael Alig will not be released in March 2010. He is currently at work on an autobiography entitled Alig-ula.[1] [edit] Michael Alig in popular mediaThe events of Michael Alig's years as a club promoter up to his arrest were portrayed in:
[edit] Prison CDIn June 2001, David M. Lambert of the British artists collective, the satori group, visited Alig at Clinton Correctional Facility in New York. He made recordings that were used in the creation of a terrible beauty featuring Michael Alig, a nine-track music CD using samples from the documentary Party Monster, original lyrics and Alig's vocals, among other content.[15] [edit] References
[edit] External links
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