A Florida woman called “killer clown” has been released from prison after she served a sentence related to the 1990 murder of her husband's former wife.
Sheila Keen-Warren, now 61, walked free on November 2, nearly two years after accepting a plea deal that saw her admit to second-degree murder. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, she was released 18 months following her plea, just before she was due to stand trial.
Though Keen-Warren spent seven years in custody since her 2017 arrest, Florida's sentencing laws in place at the time of the crime allowed her to reduce her time significantly through credits for good behaviour. Consequently, despite her initial 12-year sentence, she was eligible for early release.
“Sheila Keen-Warren will always be an admitted convicted murderer and will wear that stain every day for the rest of her life,” Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said in a statement, according to the New York Post.
Greg Rosenfeld, Keen-Warren's attorney, said she accepted the plea deal only because it meant she could be released soon, avoiding the risk of a life sentence. “We are thrilled that Ms Keen-Warren has been released from prison and is returning to her family. As we've stated from the beginning, she did not commit this crime,” Mr Rosenfeld reportedly said in a message.
The case dates back to 1990 when Marlene Warren was shot in her home by an assailant dressed as a clown. According to Ms Warren's son, Joseph Ahrens, he and his friends were present when a clown appeared at their door bearing balloons. When Ms Warren opened the door, the clown handed her the balloons and, after she commented, “How nice,” the clown pulled out a gun and shot her in the face before fleeing the scene.
Detectives had suspected Keen-Warren for years, though it wasn't until 2017 that she was arrested, with authorities attributing the delay to advancements in DNA technology that allegedly linked her to the crime. But Mr Rosenfeld, Keen-Warren's attorney, maintained that this evidence was unreliable. He highlighted issues with the DNA evidence, claiming it contained both male and female genes and that one of the samples was common enough that it could have matched many women.
At the time of the shooting, Keen-Warren worked for Michael Warren, Marlene Warren's husband, at his used car dealership. In the years following Ms Warren's death, Keen-Warren married Michael, and the two eventually relocated to Abingdon, Virginia, where they operated a restaurant.
Witnesses from 1990 reportedly told investigators that Keen-Warren and Michael Warren were romantically involved, although both denied it. Some costume shop employees identified Keen-Warren as the woman who bought a clown suit shortly before the killing. One of the balloons held by the clown — a silver one bearing the message, “You're the Greatest” — was traced to a Publix supermarket near Keen-Warren's home, where employees recalled seeing a woman who looked like her buying the balloons an hour before the incident.
The apparent getaway vehicle, a white Chrysler convertible, was found abandoned with strands of orange, hair-like fibres inside. The car was reported stolen from Michael Warren's lot a month before the murder. Keen-Warren and her then-husband had worked in repossession for Michael at the time.
Relatives of Marlene Warren previously said that she had been considering leaving her husband, suspecting him of infidelity. According to the New York Post, she had allegedly told her mother, “If anything happens to me, Mike did it.” Michael Warren has never been charged in connection with her death and denies any involvement.
State Attorney Aronberg acknowledged the challenges posed by the 27-year delay in bringing the case to trial, including the death of key witnesses.
