Police arrest teen in clown costume accused of murder
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (First Alert 4/Gray News) - A teenager was taken into custody Tuesday, accused of killing a man in East St. Louis while wearing a clown costume.
Investigators were called to the intersection of North 76th and State streets at approximately 10:02 p.m. Monday for a report of a body in the roadway.
The victim was identified as John Wesley Allen Sr., 78. The coroner said Allen died from multiple stab wounds.
A 15-year-old suspect was taken into custody by the Illinois State Police on Tuesday afternoon in connection with Allen’s death.
Ring doorbell video posted on social media, with the timestamp Aug. 3 at 9:11 p.m., shows a person dressed as a clown at a home in East St. Louis leaving an audio message: “I’ve been looking for you.”
Lee Palmer told First Alert 4 that his mother was home alone when the person appeared on their front porch. He said the individual lingered on the property for several minutes and went behind the house.
“I couldn’t believe it. He was dressed in the clown outfit,” Palmer said. “That was kind of spooky for her.”
Palmer said his first concern was his mother’s safety, worried the person may have been armed.
“He’s going to kill everybody in the house,” Palmer said. “Why out of all the houses, why come to this house?”
State police said video footage of the suspect dressed in a clown costume has been circulating on social media and that investigators are working to collect all relevant video.
Palmer said the incident reinforced the value of home security cameras.
“Best thing I can do is keep being safe,” Palmer said. “And if you don’t have a Ring camera, you better get one.”
Police have not released details about what led to the killing or what brought the teen to the neighborhood.
Investigators ask anyone with information or surveillance video of the suspect to contact them at 618-806-7611.
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