Florida’s convicted killer clown released from prison for the murder of her husband’s then-wife

Keen-Warren, who has maintained her innocence adjacent aft her plea, was sentenced to 12 years successful prison. But she had been successful custody for 7 years since her apprehension successful 2017, and Florida’s instrumentality successful 1990 allowed important recognition for bully behavior.

It had been expected she would beryllium released successful astir 2 years. “Sheila Keen-Warren volition ever beryllium an admitted convicted murderer and volition deterioration that stain for each time for the remainder of her life,” Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said successful a connection Saturday.

Greg Rosenfeld, Keen-Warren’s attorney, has said she lone took the plea woody due to the fact that she would beryllium released successful little than 2 years and had been facing a beingness condemnation if convicted astatine trial. “We are perfectly thrilled that Ms. Keen-Warren has been released from situation and is returning to her family.

As we’ve stated from the beginning, she did not perpetrate this crime,” helium said Saturday successful a substance message. Marlene Warren’s son, Joseph Ahrens, and his friends were astatine location erstwhile they said a idiosyncratic dressed arsenic a clown rang the doorway bell. He said that erstwhile his ma answered, the clown handed her immoderate balloons.

After she responded, “How nice,” the clown pulled a weapon and changeable her successful the look earlier fleeing. Palm Beach County sheriff’s investigators had agelong suspected Keen-Warren successful the slaying, but she wasn’t arrested until 27 years aboriginal erstwhile they said improved DNA investigating tied her to grounds recovered successful the getaway car.

Rosenfeld has called that grounds weak. At the clip of the shooting, Keen-Warren was an worker of Marlene Warren’s husband, Michael, astatine his utilized car lot. Since 2002, she has been his woman — they yet moved to Abington, Virginia, wherever they ran a edifice conscionable crossed the Tennessee border. Witnesses told investigators successful 1990 that the then-Sheila Keen and Michael Warren were having an affair, though some denied it.

Over the years, detectives said, costume store employees identified Sheila Warren arsenic the pistillate who had bought a clown suit a fewer days earlier the killing.

And 1 of the 2 balloons — a metallic 1 that read, “You’re the Greatest” — was sold astatine lone 1 store, a Publix supermarket adjacent Keen-Warren’s home. Employees told detectives a pistillate who looked similar Keen-Warren had bought the balloons an hr earlier the shooting.

The presumed getaway car was recovered abandoned with orange, hair-like fibers inside. The achromatic Chrysler convertible had been reported stolen from Michael Warren’s car batch a period earlier the shooting. Keen-Warren and her then-husband repossessed cars for him.

Relatives told The Palm Beach Post successful 2000 that Marlene Warren, who was 40 erstwhile she died, suspected her hubby was having an matter and wanted to permission him. But the car batch and different properties were successful her name, and she feared what mightiness hap if she did.

She allegedly told her mother, “If thing happens to me, Mike done it.” He has ne'er been charged and has denied involvement.

But Rosenfeld said past twelvemonth that the state’s lawsuit was falling apart. One DNA illustration someway showed some antheral and pistillate genes, helium said, and the different could person travel from 1 retired of each 20 women.

And adjacent if that hairsbreadth did travel from Keen-Warren, it could person been deposited earlier the car was reported stolen. He said Marlene Warren’s lad and different witnesser besides told detectives that the car deputies recovered wasn’t the killer’s, though investigators insisted it was.

Aronberg past twelvemonth conceded that determination were holes successful the case, saying they were caused by the 3 decades it took to get it to trial, including the decease of cardinal witnesses. Michael Warren was convicted successful 1994 of expansive theft, racketeering and odometer tampering.

He served astir 4 years successful situation — a punishment his then-attorneys said was disproportionately agelong due to the fact that of suspicions helium was progressive successful his wife’s death.He did not respond to a telephone connection near for him Saturday.