A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a 76-year-old man in East St. Louis, Illinois. John Wesley Allen Sr was found dead at the roadside on Monday night, and a coroner ruled he died from multiple stab wounds.
Teen spotted with knife before killing
Neighbours reported seeing a teenager dressed as a clown going door-to-door with a large knife on Monday evening. Police were called to the residential neighbourhood at around 10pm after reports of a body lying at the roadside.
Doorbell camera footage posted to social media shows a person in a clown costume approaching a home at around 9pm, about an hour before police arrived. In the footage, the clown can be heard saying, “I’ve been looking for you.” Other footage obtained by NBC affiliate KSDK shows a man looking into the camera and saying, “I have a gift for you.”
Neighbours describe terrifying encounter
Corrine Spry told KSDK she was sitting on her back porch with her family when she spotted the clown roaming the neighbourhood, twirling a knife. She watched him for about 45 minutes before police arrived. “He was up to no good,” she said. “We’re pretty positive he circled back around in these woods because you could hear the sticks breaking.”
Lee Palmer told First Alert 4 that his mother was at home alone when the clown appeared on her front porch and lingered for several minutes, even going behind the house. “I couldn’t believe it. He was dressed in the clown outfit. That was kind of spooky for her,” Palmer said. He feared for his mother’s safety and worried the stranger might be armed. “He’s going to kill everybody in the house,” Palmer said, explaining his thought process at the time.
Suspect arrested
Illinois State Police arrested the 15-year-old suspect on Tuesday. They have not released details about what led to the killing or what brought the teen to the neighbourhood. Police said in a statement: “Video footage of the suspect dressed in a clown costume has been circulating and ISP is currently working to collect all relevant video.” Investigators have urged anyone with information or additional footage to contact them.
