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15-Year-Old Detained in East St. Louis After Elderly Man Found Stabbed

Investigators collecting widely shared doorbell and security video have not disclosed a motive or whether charges have been filed

Overview

  • Illinois State Police said special agents took an unidentified 15-year-old into custody in connection with the killing of a 78-year-old man in East St. Louis.
  • Doorbell and home-security footage showing a masked person in a clown costume approaching a nearby house has circulated online and is being gathered by investigators.
  • The victim was identified by the St. Clair County Coroner as John Wesley Allen Sr., who died of multiple stab wounds.
  • Neighbors reported seeing a youth carrying or twirling a large knife and roaming the neighborhood before police arrived, though authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the public.
  • Officials have declined to release a motive, any relationship between the juvenile and the victim, or whether formal charges have been filed as the probe continues.