Teenager dressed as clown detained in Illinois homicide case

A 15-year-old dressed as a clown was taken into custody Monday night in connection with a homicide investigation in East St. Louis, according to Illinois State Police.

The East St. Louis Police Department received a report of a body in a roadway just after 10 p.m. on Monday and identified the 15-year-old as a suspect after officers arrived at the scene. The teenager, who has not been identified, was detained, though 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 footage obtained by NBC affiliate KSDK showed a man with part of his face 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 on Monday night.

Corrine Spry was sitting on her back porch with her family when she saw him 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 suspect could have targeted any neighborhood residents — a thought that still unsettles her, given how easily the situation could have escalated.

Lee Palmer said the suspect 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.”