A 15-year-old dressed as a clown was taken into custody Monday night in connection with a homicide investigation in East St. Louis, Illinois, according to state police.
East St. Louis police received a report of a body in a roadway just after 10 p.m. Monday and identified the 15-year-old as a suspect after officers arrived. The teenager, who has not been identified, was detained, though it remains unclear whether he has been charged.
The victim was identified as John Wesley Allen Sr., 78, according to the St. Clair County Coroner’s Office. Allen died of multiple stab wounds, the coroner said.
State police acknowledged that “video footage of the suspect dressed in a clown costume has been circulating” and said they are working to obtain all video related to the case.
Doorbell camera video obtained by NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis showed a person whose face was partly covered looking into the camera and saying, “I have a gift for you.” Neighbors told the outlet they saw the teenager going door to door with a large knife Monday night.
Corrine Spry was sitting on her back porch with her family when she saw the attacker twirling the knife. She watched him roam the area for about 45 minutes before police arrived.
“He was up to no good,” Spry said. “We’re pretty positive he circled back around in these woods, because you could hear the sticks breaking.”
Spry said the attacker could have targeted any neighborhood residents — a thought that still unsettles her, given how easily the situation could have escalated.
Lee Palmer said that the person approached his mother’s home, where she lives alone, but that she didn’t open the door. Palmer said he hopes the suspect gets help.
“He was not in the right state of mind to walk on somebody’s porch like that,” Palmer said. “It’s just unimaginable.”
