Sheila Keen-Warren, the woman who pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Marlene Warren while dressed as a clown in 1990, was released from prison on Saturday after serving 18 months behind bars. This cold case out of Florida finally came to a close with Keen-Warren’s release. She was arrested in 2017 and convicted of shooting Marlene to death more than 30 years ago in Wellington, Florida. Despite her guilty plea, Keen-Warren has maintained her innocence. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2023, with credit for the time she had already spent behind bars.
Throughout the investigation, Keen-Warren had been a suspect from the start, but lack of evidence made it difficult for prosecutors to charge her. However, retested DNA evidence in 2014 allowed investigators to connect her to the crime scene, leading to her arrest and subsequent conviction. Witnesses in the case reported that a person dressed as a clown delivered balloons and flowers to Marlene before shooting her in the face. The victim’s son, Joseph Ahrens, and friends were home at the time of the shooting and were able to provide crucial information that helped solve the case.
Keen-Warren went on to marry the husband of her victim, Michael Warren, whom she had worked for. There were suspicions at the time of the murder that the two were having an affair, although both parties denied it. Despite initial suspicions surrounding Michael Warren, he was never convicted in connection to his wife’s murder. The case was at a standstill for many years until the retested DNA evidence linked Keen-Warren to the crime scene, providing investigators with the breakthrough needed to bring her to justice.
Keen-Warren’s release from prison has been met with mixed reactions, with her lawyer expressing joy that she has been reunited with her family. Greg Rosenfeld, Keen-Warren’s lawyer, stated that she did not commit the crime and they have maintained her innocence from the beginning. Her release comes after serving 18 months of her 12-year sentence. Despite the plea deal and conviction, Keen-Warren continues to claim that she is innocent and had no involvement in Marlene Warren’s murder.
The “killer clown” case of 1990 in Florida has captured the attention of the public for decades, and Keen-Warren’s arrest and conviction brought some closure to the long-standing cold case. The use of retested DNA evidence proved to be a crucial turning point in the investigation, finally connecting Keen-Warren to the crime scene. The victim’s son and friends who witnessed the murder played a pivotal role in providing information that led to solving the case. Despite her release from prison, Sheila Keen-Warren’s guilt or innocence continues to be debated, with some believing in her innocence while others maintain that she was rightfully convicted.
