Michael Alig

Michael Alig (born April 29, 1966) is an American former club promoter, musician and writer who served almost 17 years in prison for manslaughter. Alig was a prominent member of the Club Kids, a group of young New York City club goers that became a cultural phenomenon during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In October 1997 Alig pleaded guilty to manslaughter after killing and dismembering fellow Club Kid Andre "Angel" Melendez in a confrontation over a drug debt in March 1996. He was sentenced to ten to twenty years in prison and was released on parole in May 2014.

Early years

Born in South Bend, Indiana, Alig is the second of two sons born to John and Elke Alig. His mother Elke, a native of Bremerhaven, Germany, moved to the United States after marrying John Alig, a computer programmer. Alig's parents divorced when he was four years old.

Alig attended Grissom Middle School and Penn High School where he was a straight A student. He graduated in the top 8% of his class. During his teenage years, Alig was often the subject of bullying on account of his homosexuality. Seeking a less conservative social environment after graduating in 1984, he attended Fordham University in New York City. He studied architecture there before transferring to the Fashion Institute of Technology. There he met the boyfriend of artist Keith Haring who introduced Alig to New York City nightlife. Alig soon dropped out of school and began working at Danceteria as a bus boy.