After more than 30 years, the cold case of the killer clown in Florida has finally come to a close as Sheila Keen-Warren, the woman who pleaded guilty to the murder of Marlene Warren, was released from prison. Keen-Warren, who was dressed as a clown delivering carnations and balloons, was arrested in 2017 and convicted of shooting Marlene to death. Despite her guilty plea to second-degree murder, Keen-Warren has always maintained her innocence. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2023, with credit for time already served behind bars.
The lack of evidence initially made it difficult for prosecutors to charge Keen-Warren as a suspect in the case. However, retested DNA evidence in 2014 eventually linked her to the crime scene. Witnesses, including the victim’s son and friends who were present during the shooting, reported that a person dressed as a clown delivered balloons and flowers before fatally shooting Marlene in the face. Keen-Warren later married the victim’s husband, Michael Warren, whom she worked for at the time of the murder. Despite suspicions of an affair between Michael and Keen-Warren at the time of Marlene’s death, both parties denied any wrongdoing.
Greg Rosenfeld, Keen-Warren’s lawyer, expressed his happiness that his client has been released from prison and reunited with her family. He emphasized that Keen-Warren did not commit the crime she was accused of. The case had been a point of interest for investigators since its inception, with Keen-Warren being a suspect from the beginning. However, it was not until the retested DNA evidence connected her to the crime that prosecutors were able to move forward with charging her in connection with the murder.
The victim’s son and friends, along with other witnesses, played a crucial role in identifying Keen-Warren as the suspect. They reported seeing a person dressed as a clown at the crime scene before Marlene was shot to death. Despite suspicions of an affair between Keen-Warren and Michael Warren, he was never convicted in connection with his wife’s murder. The case brought significant media attention and intrigue given the bizarre circumstances surrounding Marlene’s death and the subsequent relationship between Keen-Warren and Michael Warren.
The release of Sheila Keen-Warren from prison marks the end of a decades-long investigation into the killer clown cold case in Florida. Despite her guilty plea to second-degree murder in connection with Marlene Warren’s death, Keen-Warren has consistently maintained her innocence throughout the legal proceedings. A lack of evidence initially hindered investigators in charging Keen-Warren, but retested DNA evidence eventually led to her arrest and conviction. The intricate details of the case, including the involvement of a person dressed as a clown and the subsequent marriage between Keen-Warren and the victim’s husband, have captured public interest for years.
