Illinois Teen in Evil Clown Costume Arrested in Murder Case

A 15-year-old wearing a clown costume is accused of fatally stabbing an elderly man in East St. Louis, Illinois, and leaving him in the roadway after reportedly appearing on a neighbor’s security camera and whispering, “I’ve been looking for you.”

The unidentified teenager, whose face was partly obscured by a mask and glasses, was captured on video approaching a home in a black-and-red clown outfit, staring directly into the camera in footage that later spread across social media.

“I’ve been looking for you,” the teen appears to say in the recording before walking away from the porch and heading toward the back of the property.

The security footage was timestamped 9:11 p.m. Monday, KMOV reported — less than an hour before officers were called to a nearby street after a body was discovered in the road.

Authorities identified the victim as John Wesley Allen Sr., who was pronounced dead shortly after 10 p.m. from multiple stab wounds, according to police and the St. Clair County Coroner’s Office.

Illinois State Police said Tuesday that investigators quickly identified the juvenile suspect and located him at a residence, where he was taken into custody.

“Video footage of the suspect dressed in a clown costume has been circulating and ISP is currently working to collect all relevant video,” the agency said in a statement.

No additional details about the killing have been released. The motive or relationship between the victim and perp wasn’t immediately known.

Lee Palmer told KMOV that his mother was home alone when the creepy clown suddenly appeared on their front porch. He lurked around the property for several minutes and went behind the house, he said.

“I couldn’t believe it. He was dressed in the clown outfit,” Palmer said. “That was kind of spooky for her.”

He said he was immediately terrified the clown was “going to kill everybody in the house,” Palmer said.

“Why out of all the houses, why come to this house?” he wondered.