Michael Musto “Thats one of the tragedy’s of this whole case, is that the victim is always forgotten. It’s all about Michael Alig and sometimes about Freeze. It’s never about Angel.”

Andre Angel Melendez was one of hundreds of young people that answered the call from Michael Alig on the daily talk shows like Geraldo. If you were a misfit and you didn’t fit in where you lived, the Club kids wanted you to come to New York and party with them. His story would end in tragedy when he was murdered by the man he looked up to

The murder of Angel Melendez would not only bring the demise of the entire club kid scene and changing New York City nightlife forever. But, it would also become international news. It would inspire Books, a move, 2 documentaries and several episodes of crime television including an episode of American Justice.

Andre Melendez, was born on May 1st 1971, in Columbia. In 1979, 8 year old Andre and his brother Johnny, picked-up and moved with their family to the United States.

In the late 1980’s a nightlife scene called the “club kids” emerged to fill the void left, after the death of Andy Warhol. By the early 1990’s the “club kids” had become an international phenomenon appearing on tv talk shows and traveling internationally and 21 year old Andre Melendez wanted, very much to be a part of it.

Andre was a pier queen. A reference to an area of the NY waterfront where gay men would cruise for encounters. He was tuff street kid, that hung around on the west village piers. He was street smart. He was a regular at CBGB’s. He began dealing drugs in the late 1990’s to support himself and soon was allegedly dealing at all of Peter Gatiens Mega clubs. Ernie Glam, via Glory Daze: The Life and times of Michael Alig said ” Angel had this really dark side to him, like a really dark, violent side”

As, the club kid phenomenon continued to grow, so did the party’s that club kid king, Michael Alig threw and at these party’s Michael wanted drugs to be available. So several dealers, were employed by Alig to distribute the drugs to the party goers, and one of these dealers was Andre Melendez. The New York Times reported on o9/11/97 that ” Mr. Melendez’s brother (John Melendez) said Mr. Melendez had considered it glamorous to associate with someone so well known.”

There is footage online of Angel Melendez attending one of Michael Aligs Infamous Outlaw party’s at a Burger King in 1990. The Fabulous Wonder Twins have uploaded footage of Angel onto their YouTube Channel from a Style Summit Outlaw party in 1993.

Melendez. was already becoming well known in his own right and he was well liked at Jackie 60, a party that ran every Tuesday from 1990 to 1999. You couldn’t miss those wings he was wearing. The wings that would garner him, the nick name Angel.

The Andre “Angel” Melendez memorial page shared a photo Gregory Kennell had posted of himself and Angel. Here’s some of what Kennel wrote about Angel, “André was sweet, confused, and a little bit vulnerble; thus the menacing appearance of his beautiful ‘Statue of Liberty’ mohawk.”

Although, Angel had now become part of the “club kid” scene. The inner circle around leader, Michael Alig, did not care for Angel: James St James “Angel.. uhm.. didn’t like Angel very much” Dj Keoki: ‘No, I really didn’t care for Angel, too much. I avoided him, as much as possible. Especially if I owed him money.’ “Michael’s follower.”

Neither did Alig himself like Angel. Michael Alig: “Angel was somebody, who saw a Geraldo, or heard of the club kids and moved to New York, and Hey, I wanna be like that, without actually knowing what its like.” Astro Earl: “He was a poser. He was basically a poser. That all being said.. I loved the guy. Very sweet. Very nice… uhm..”

Writer Frank Owens who broke the store of Angels murder for the Village Voice told Glory Daze “If Angel didn’t Have drugs, they would not have allowed him to hang around.”

But this did not stop Michael Alig from moving Angel into his apartment at 3K, 560 west, 43 street. Michael alig required an almost constant supply and Angel was only 1 of three dealers that were living with Alig. One of the other dealers living with Michael was Robert Freeze Riggs.

In 1994 Angel appeared on an episode of Geraldo titled “beyond the glitz and glamour”.

Ernie Glam: Like, Angel always had this paranoia that people were making fun of him or that people secretly didn’t like him or.. that we were all laughing about him behind his back.

It seems in hindsight, that Melendez was not suffering paranoia, but rather was just picking up on the truth.. that there were many, around Alig who didn’t like Angel. He was merely being tolerated.

Steve Lewis “I didn’t like Angel. I thought he was a piece of shit, personaly– you know, if you could just line up the people that should die.. you know, in this world, he’d be near the front.”

Astro Earl: Michael went over to me and was like “God Astro, I just wish he was dead!”

But there were many, outside of Michael Aligs inner circle who did like Angel.

Screamin Rachel: “of course I loved Michael and on the other hand, I was friends with Angel.”

Jimi Dana, promoter and Patron: “Couldn’t miss him with those wings. – He was a nice guy. – I always felt like he came in from the side, but then tried to be a part of them.”

Scott Osman, a lighting tech at “Limelight”: “Yeah, He was really nice. Yeah, I never got an evil vibe from him.” “He was not accepted, on the level of Michael’s complete inner circle”

He seemed like a pretty cool guy. We’d see him every Wednesday or Saturday.”

In September of 1995, the Limelight was raided by federal agents. They padlocked the club and began an investigation into Gatien. After the raid, Angel was fired. After he was fired he moved in with Michael Alig.

3 months before Michael Aligs arrest, he said, on camera “He was a copycat. He was one of those copycats, that we hate, so we killed him.”

James St James told the Party Monster Shockumentary “The last thing I ever said to Angel was what are you doing there, I cant believe you are still there. You are such an idiot. Move away. Get out of that apartment Angel. What are you doing.”

Leading up to the terrible events of March 17 1996. Angel had reportedly saved up a sum of $3,000 dollars.

When Angel arrived at Michael a leg apartment, there was a verbal altercation over money which escalated into a physical altercation which ultimately escalated into the murder and dismemberment of Melendez by Alec and freeze. Daniel Oster was present at the time would later be charged with theft of $3000 from Angel after the murder.

Angel’s brother Johnny Melendez began looking for him, but he got the impression that the police didn’t care. he told the party monster documentary “ he’s probably wearing his wings right now his real wings. The last time I talked to him was in February I knew he wasn’t around so I beeped him my aunt beeped him. He didn’t answer. So I went to the police to fill a missing persons report. they didn’t pay no attention. They didn’t even want to make a missing persons report. so right there I was at zero I didn’t have nobody investigating.

So I started investigating myself I made up flyers Black-and-white flyers with a $4000 reward. if anybody seen him. so I started showing people do you know this guy? Yeah, I know him. I seen him in line. I seen him hanging down here Christopher Street I seen him by the bay. so yeah, they told me oh yeah, I know him do you know where he is? no they don’t know. they don’t want to say anything.

It’s like they don’t give a damn about my brother. they just killed a mosquito or something you know. A roach or something.

I spoke to Michael Alig. He didn’t want to face me. he was facing this way and that way. and look in and you know, he didn’t want to look at me in my eyes cause me and my brother, we look alike a lot.

So right there I said no this guy is guilty. He’s not saying the truth.”

In an unaired portion of the interview that screaming Rachel did for the party monster documentary she said “ when Johnny Melendez which is Angel’s brother began calling me and saying Rachel we know you know more than what you’re saying, and you were friends with my brother and my brother was a human being. Why aren’t you coming forward and saying anything? All along and even to this day you know going through therapy. Still going through therapy about this incident is I still cannot Except the fact that Angel is dead And I cannot accept the fact that a friend of mine had something to do with it, in other words to me it’s like living out a bad movie and not believing any of it.”

This put pressure on law enforcement. It has been alleged that because the DEA had already been watching Michael Alig, due to the peter gatien investigation, law enforcement likely knew that Michael had murdered angel.

but because Michael was the prosecutions key witness in their racketeering case against him and the majority of their case was based on information provided By Michael so they allegedly turned a blind eye that is until they could no longer keep it quiet.

After the murder of Melendez, and under the influence of drugs, Michael confessed to multiple people in and out of his circle. It wasn’t long before, people began to notice that Angel was missing and the rumor of Alig’s confession exploded.

Then on June 25th 1996, “The Village Voice” ran with the cover story “A Murder in clubland?” detailing the rumors that has been circulating about the now MIA Angel Melendez.

Frank Owen wrote “some say promoter Michael Alig killed Angel Melendez some say it’s a hoax Frank Owen investigates P 29”

Now, under mounting scrutiny and (self inflicted) gossip; Alig made the decision to flee New York, with fellow Club Kid, Gitsie Haataja. The Pair made their way to visit friend and fellow club kid, Screamin Rachel in Chicago. Michael would later describe this visit as “a big mistake”.

Shortly after the visit, Screamin Rachel recorded the song “Freedom/Murder in Clubland” She said of Freedom “There’s a little backwards loop in the song “Michael, where’s Angel? Michael where’s Angel”.”

Angels remains would be discovered by some playing children on Staten Island in March or April 1996. (there are conflicting reports about when the remains were discovered.)

Once Angels remains had been identified. Michael Alig and Robert “Freeze” Riggs were finally arrested and charged with murder.

After taking a plea deal, they were both sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison for the murder. Angel was 24 when his life was taken from him. Less than 2 months shy of his 25th birthday.