In the hour leading up to the killing, a Ring doorbell camera recorded a chilling encounter: a person walked up to a residence, stared into the lens and said, “I have a gift for you.”
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — A homicide investigation is underway after a body was discovered in an East St. Louis roadway Monday night, and police have taken a 15-year-old who was reportedly dressed as a clown in the neighborhood into custody.
Illinois State Police said East St. Louis officers were called around 10 p.m. Monday after someone reported a body lying in the street near North 76th Street and State Street.
KSDK reported that St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. identified the victim Tuesday evening as 78-year-old John Wesley Allen Sr. of St. Louis. Dye said Allen died after suffering multiple stab wounds.
The Illinois State Police Public Safety Enforcement Group was called in to assist, and officials said the investigation remains active.
Residents told 5 On Your Side they had seen the teen moving from house to house in the area, looking into windows and carrying what appeared to be a large knife.
Ring camera video taken less than an hour before the homicide showed the person approaching a home, looking directly at the camera and saying, “I have a gift for you.”
Illinois State Police later confirmed the teenager had been taken into custody as part of the ongoing homicide investigation.
Later Wednesday, prosecutors said they have moved to charge the suspect as an adult. Prosecutors filed a petition for adjudication of wardship, which if granted, would transfer his charges to adult court, where prosecutors intend to charge him with first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing.
