John Wesley Allen Sr.

Relatives of murder victim John Wesley Allen Sr., 78, want him remembered as a caring Navy veteran who spent decades driving a bus. "We don't want him to be known as the 'clown victim,'" said Allen's niece, Tenia Stanford. Police say a teen dressed in a clown costume stabbed Allen repeatedly Monday night at a bus stop in East St. Louis. The teen, 15, has been charged with murder in juvenile court while the St. Clair County State's Attorney's office seeks to transfer the case to adult court. Illinois State Police on Thursday said Allen had been stabbed in "a random attack" at a bus stop. A person called 911 after seeing a man's body in the street about 10 p.m. near 76th and State streets. The caller thought the man had been struck by a car, but reported seeing no vehicle. Police soon learned Allen had been stabbed. Someone in the clown costume, seen on Ring camera footage at a home nearby minutes earlier, had eerily leaned into the camera, whispered what sounded like "I'm looking for you," and then walked away slowly. Police and prosecutors have yet to say much about the boy's alleged motive. A resident who lives in the 800 block of Pershing Street called police about 9:50 p.m. Monday, reporting that a "male in a clown suit was at her house making threats to kill people." Allen lived at a senior care facility in the 2300 block of Grand River Road in Jennings. Stanford said her uncle had felt ill earlier in the day and was at the VA hospital. Then, he took a bus to East St. Louis to visit his sister, who lives on 74th Street, not far from the murder scene. When he wasn't feeling well, Stanford said, he would rather be at his sister's house in East St. Louis than be alone in his room at the Jennings senior center. After retiring from the Navy, Allen drove for Bi-State bus for decades, as well as Greyhound and the Vandalia bus company, Stanford said. He had three children. His wife died a few years ago. "He was a good man. A joyful man," said Stanford, 49, of Fairview Heights. "He was a God-fearing man." He visited family in East St. Louis every Saturday to stay overnight, attending church the next day. Stanford said her Uncle John was a jack of all trades and would help relatives with whatever they needed, be it plumbing work or cleaning up around the house. He also was good company. "He would joke with you, laugh with you. He would talk the Lord with you," she added. Stanford said her family is reeling, unable to comprehend why a boy would hurt Allen. "I don't understand it," she said. "His life taken from a clown." The state's attorney on Wednesday filed a petition against the minor, who remains in custody. Prosecutors released a heavily redacted version of that petition, which says the child committed first-degree murder by stabbing Allen to death with a knife.