Teen Wearing Creepy Clown Costume Charged With Murder After Navy Veteran, 78, Stabbed to Death at Bus Stop
The 15-year-old's identity has not been publicly revealed.
Sept. 7 2026, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
A 15-year-old in Illinois – who was captured on security camera footage going door to door dressed as a creepy clown – is facing a murder charge after the fatal stabbing of an elderly man, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The minor, whose identity was not publicly revealed, was taken into custody hours after John Wesley Allen Sr., 78, was discovered dead on an East St. Louis street with multiple wounds.
Navy Vet Slain in Random Attack
John Allen's loved ones say they want people to know the veteran, retired bus driver, and devoted family man.
According to Illinois State Police, U.S. Navy veteran Allen was stabbed by the teen in a random attack at a bus stop.
The teen was promptly identified as a suspect in the late-night crime, apprehended, and formally charged with first-degree murder, authorities say.
According to resident Lee Palmer, his mother's doorbell camera recorded a crazed-looking person clad in a baggy clown outfit on the evening of the murder.
Killer Clown Caught On Doorbell Cam?
Illinois police arrested a 15-year-old teen for a fatal stabbing.
The skulking stranger peered into the lens and seemed to whisper, "I’ve been looking for you."
Palmer says his mother was home alone when the masked menace appeared on her front porch, then lingered on the property for several minutes before going behind the house.
"I couldn’t believe it. He was dressed in the clown outfit," he recalls. "That was kind of spooky for her."
Grieving Family Demands Answers
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Relatives expressed immense pain and suffering following the sudden loss.
Palmer, whose mother did not open the door, admits he was worried for her safety and feared the person was armed. He asked, "Why out of all the houses, why come to this house?"
Illinois State Police say "footage of the suspect dressed in a clown costume has been circulating" and that they were working to "collect all relevant video."
Allen’s grieving sister Marie Stanford said, "I’m just wondering why this person did this. He didn’t know my brother."
Another relative, Tenia Stanford, adds, "Now we have to sit here and go through this pain and suffering because of some random act?"
