Killer Clown Released From Prison
On May 26, 1990, Marlene Warren answered her door in Palm Beach County, Florida, only to be greeted by a woman dressed as a clown. Carrying balloons, the clown handed them to Marlene. According to CNN, as the suburban mom reached for the balloons and said, "How nice," that same clown shot her in the face.
Circus, Meet Monkeys
When 40-year-old Marlene Warren answered her door that fateful afternoon, she never could have guessed it would be her last day alive.
Before her shocking death, Marlene had suspected her husband, Michael Warren, was having an affair. However, Michael ran a local used car dealership, and the car lot and other assets were in Marlene's name — she was afraid there would be serious consequences if she were to leave him. According to CNN, Warren told her mother, "If anything happens to me, Mike done it."
The woman he was allegedly having an affair with? Her name was Sheila Keen-Warren. She worked with Michael at the car lot — and she just happened to be the very same "killer clown" that showed up at Marlene's door that day.
A Break in the Cold Case
Despite the shocking nature of the crime, the case went cold for years because of limited evidence. However, due to advances in DNA technology, the investigation resumed in 2014.
Authorities had long suspected that Sheila had something to do with the case, but they didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest.
However, a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detective who took over the case in 2013 discovered a previously unseen 6- to 8-inch fiber among the crime-scene evidence.
Before long, persistent detective work ultimately pointed to Sheila as the "killer clown."
Police arrested Sheila in 2017, a full 27 years after the crime. Since Marlene's murder, she had been living a seemingly quiet life in Virginia with her husband, none other than Michael Warren — Marlene's former husband.
Bring in the Clowns — and the Evidence
As the case moved toward trial, prosecutors asserted that Sheila had dressed as a clown to kill Marlene and remove her as a romantic rival. Sheila maintained her innocence and denied ever having an affair with Michael. However, coworkers from the car lot had told investigators nearly three decades ago, at the time of Marlene's murder, that Sheila and Michael were romantically involved — so the motive was convincing.
Additionally, investigators reported that workers at a costume store recognized Sheila as the person who purchased a clown outfit just days before the murder.
One of the balloons, a silver one with the message "You're the Greatest," was traced to a single location — a Publix supermarket close to Sheila's residence. Witnesses there described a woman resembling Sheila buying the balloons roughly an hour prior to the crime.
The suspected escape vehicle, a white Chrysler convertible, was later discovered abandoned with strands of orange, fiber-like material inside. The car had been listed as stolen from Michael Warren's dealership about a month earlier. At the time, Sheila and her former husband worked repossessing vehicles for him.
In a final blow, prosecutors argued that the fiber linked Sheila to the murder via DNA — so the crime scene eventually implicated her.
Killer Clown on the Loose
Faced with all this evidence, the case took a surprising turn in 2023 when Sheila entered a last-minute plea deal before the trial began, allowing her to avoid a potential life sentence if the trial had resulted in a conviction. She agreed to a second-degree murder charge for the shooting of Marlene Warren, according to the Florida Department of Corrections records. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison — but also received credit for time already served while awaiting trial, since her 2017 arrest.
Despite her plea deal, Sheila maintained her innocence. Because the laws in Florida in 1990 allowed for early release for good behavior, she was released recently on Nov. 2, 2024, after serving only 18 months, to the surprise of many.
With Sheila Keen-Warren's release, a nearly 30-year saga comes to a close. Her release marks the end of a decades-long mystery, leaving lingering questions about whether true justice was actually achieved.
References: Woman who pleaded guilty to 1990 Wellington 'clown' murder released from Florida prison | Florida's convicted killer clown released from prison
