Investigation of The Disappearance
While Alig was in rehab, rumors of Alig's involvement in Melendez's death were reported in the Village Voice by Michael Musto. Although no names were used, Musto's reports included the details of the murder. Musto had previously reported on Alig's firing from the Limelight and noted the buzz about a missing club person. On April 27, 1996, the New York Post's "Page Six" column ran a lead item about the murder mystery, citing Musto's reporting as well as a New York magazine piece quoting an evasive Alig. Over the coming weeks, the Village Voice continued to report and make accusations about Melendez's murder; however the police department was not that concerned about the disappearance of a Colombian drug dealer.
Through September, the police had still not questioned Alig about the murder; they were focused on his business partner Peter Gatien, wanting Alig to testify against him. 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. James St. James recounts how Melendez's brother was baffled by the callousness and indifference of the police and of the scenesters Angel had considered friends.
In the fall of 1996, to escape the scrutiny of the media, Alig 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. Once in Denver he missed New York too much and moved back into the city, trying to make a comeback at another midtown night club by hosting a new party night, called Honey Trap.
In November 1996, the coroner reported the body had been identified as Melendez. Every rumor was confirmed by the appearance of Melendez's body and the police could not ignore it. Alig fled New York, staying in a hotel in New Jersey with boyfriend Brian McCauly before the police surrounded the location. In December 1997, Alig and his accomplice Robert Riggs pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison for Melendez's death.
While in prison, Alig told Musto, "I know why I blabbed. I must have wanted to stop me. I was spinning out of control. It's like the old saying 'What do you have to do to get attention around here - kill somebody?'
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