In 1990, 40-year-old Marlene Warren is brutally murdered in her Florida home by a clown who shoots her in the face. The attack, a shocking and personal crime, occurs in a wealthy neighborhood where the killer’s identity remains elusive. Initially, investigations focus on her husband, Michael Warren, due to the absence of robbery and the lack of physical evidence. However, employee testimonies reveal a prolonged affair between Michael and Sheila Keene, a tough, energetic woman who worked at Michael’s car lot. This relationship, marked by possessiveness and jealousy, becomes a key motive. Though early evidence is circumstantial, forensic advances in 2014—particularly DNA analysis of hair found on the getaway car and balloons—confirm Sheila’s involvement. The evidence ties her to the clown costume, the vehicle, and the crime scene, establishing motive, opportunity, and means. After years of stalled progress, Sheila is arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Facing delays due to witness unavailability and pandemic-related issues, prosecutors offer her a plea deal, resulting in a 12-year sentence. She is released in 2024, while Michael is never charged. The case, once a silent mystery, becomes a landmark in cold case solving, highlighting the power of forensic science and the enduring impact on Marlene’s family, who continue to advocate for empathy, connection, and vigilance against hidden violence.
A middle-aged housewife
becomes the victim of a nightmarish murder.
The clown pulls out a gun
and shoots her one bullet right in the face.
It was so out of the ordinary.
You know, something as benign as a clown
would knock on the door just with such a tragic twist.
This was something personal.
The investigation uncovers dark secrets and deadly desires.
You've got sex and you've got violence.
They were having an affair
and it had been going on for some time.
But as the case grows stagnant,
a killer lurks close to home.
She said, "If anything ever happens to me,
know that he had something to do with it."
This is the act of a sociopath.
This is the act of a cold-blooded killer
who thinks they can deceive everyone
for the next 27 years.
Yeah, I mean, I really don't want to talk to you.
Okay.
Do you want to know what you're charged with?
Yeah. Okay.
There was no doubt.
I saw the eyes of the killer that did it.
♪♪
♪♪
May 26, 1990.
It's a sunny Saturday in Wellington, Florida,
an affluent village located just a few miles
from West Palm Beach.
Wellington is a place like no one else lives.
It was a paradise.
You know, it was peaceful.
It was a slice of heaven.
This was a neighborhood with big houses, big yards,
and it got its name, Arrow Club,
because it had a private airstrip.
And all the houses out there,
all the houses out back had hangers.
♪♪
In one of the area's largest homes,
40-year-old Marlene Warren is enjoying the morning
with her 21-year-old son, Joe Ahrens, and his friend.
♪♪
The night before, we ran into some friends
that I haven't seen in a while.
My mom said, "Hey, well,
why don't you come out to the house and stay?"
We woke up 8:00, 9:00, something like that.
As they all gather in the living room,
something strange happens.
Around mid-morning,
a car pulls into their circular driveway,
and what steps out of the car, a clown.
Full suit, orange curly wig, red bulb nose,
and carrying a couple of balloons
and a bouquet of flowers.
And the clown just walks up to the front door,
rings the doorbell.
♪♪
Since Joe recently broke his leg,
Marlene assumes the clown is a messenger
bringing a get-well gift and opens the door.
I hear, "How pretty, how nice."
And then we heard bang.
♪♪
The clown pulls out a gun
and shoots her one bullet right in the face.
Her son, who's on the couch,
he's in a cast, gets up,
rushes over to her where she's laying in the doorway,
and she's bleeding from the mouth pretty extensively,
but he doesn't really yet understand what's happening.
We didn't see the gun.
It just didn't register
until I saw my mother's teeth gone
and her gasping for her air,
and then it sunk in.
I felt a rip in my body,
like a spirit or my soul or my heart
or all of the above.
I looked at the clown,
watched him walk to the car.
I was trying to find any detail
to see who this person is.
They look back at me.
I will never forget those eyes.
You know, and those are the eyes of the killer.
♪♪
As the gunman drives away,
Joe quickly calls 911
and alerts first responders that his mother needs aid.
Fearing that the perpetrator will escape the scene,
Joe quickly gives chase.
They tried to keep me on the phone.
I dropped it.
I grabbed my mom's purse.
I grabbed her keys.
I just jumped in a car and floored it.
I ran through red lights.
The only thought I had in my mind
was to run into this car.
That's all I could think.
But I couldn't catch up to the car,
so I had to turn around.
I raced home.
When Joe arrives back home,
he sees first responders.
♪♪
When law enforcement first arrived,
they discovered Marlene Warren,
who was laying in the entryway to the home.
She had suffered a single gunshot wound to the mouth
and was transported to the emergency room
to attempt to be saved.
♪♪
The big question was,
"Who'd want to do this to this woman, and why?"
Marlene was well-loved, well-liked by everybody.
She had no enemies.
You would think that somebody coming to your door like that
are not going to do you harm.
You know, you don't even expect it.
It was so heinous.
♪♪
Marlene McKinnon was the last person anyone would expect to die
in such a terrifying way.
She was born in 1950 to a middle-class family in Michigan.
Marlene was a Midwestern girl
raised in a small town outside of Detroit,
lived for a long time on her grandfather's farm.
She had a couple of sisters.
And she lived, you know, sort of a happy, simple life there.
By the time she was 18 years old,
she was married, and she had two young boys.
My mother met my father, John Ahrens, when they were young.
They were in the age of 14 to 16, you know.
I remember my grandmother telling me stories
that he would try to impress her.
Then my brother, John Arthur Ahrens, was born in 1966.
I was born in 1968.
♪♪
Soon after their son, Joe, was born,
Marlene's husband, John, was drafted into service
and deployed to Vietnam.
Marlene was left to raise the boys by herself.
She was a very good person.
She was open-minded,
and she distilled good things in us.
I can remember times
that we had to clean the house on the weekends, you know,
and, of course, kids don't want to do that.
She'd put the radio on and have the feather duster
and, you know, "Hey, come on.
You know, hey, come on.
You know, if we get it done, we can go do fun things."
But when John returned home in 1970,
things were never the same.
♪♪
When he came back, he drank,
and he just couldn't handle it.
He was just out of control.
And I didn't understand it then, but I do now.
He couldn't be a family man anymore.
And my mom knew it.
You know, she had to protect us from the negative things
that he was doing.
Marlene decided to end the marriage.
But within a year, she got a chance for a new start.
So now she's a single mom of two boys,
and she meets Michael Warren.
He was 18 years old, and Marlene was 20.
And they fell in love really quickly,
and within a couple of years, they were married.
Mike came into the picture
when I was around four or five years old.
I think what drew my mother, Marlene,
and Mike together was how inspiring he was.
He was full of energy.
You know, he was just a go-getter.
Michael, even though he was young,
took on the role of father figure, basically,
to Marlene's two kids, John and Joe.
My mom seemed real happy.
She was energized.
They worked together well,
and everything seemed to have a flow.
They took the family to Florida
and started their new life here.
Michael started his car lot business, Bargain Motors.
It was taking off.
With their newfound wealth came new opportunities.
They started buying rental properties
as investments.
She would manage those,
and Mike would do the car business.
My family at that time
was a very happy, growing family.
They were able to buy the property in Arrow Club,
which was brand new at the time.
Very affluent, upscale community.
At the time, Mike had probably
the nicest house there.
We had a single-engine airplane,
and we had the jacuzzi,
and the hangar,
and the two-car garage, you know.
For the Warren family,
life couldn't have been better,
until tragedy struck in 1988.
I was around 18, 19,
when my brother, John Ahrens,
was picking up a car.
car from the auction that he's never been to the people that go there knew that there was not a
stop sign in a place there should be one and he did not know and drove right out in the traffic and
got killed a really pivotal moment in marlene's life was the death of her oldest son john it hit
her heart and she knew she had to be strong for me she would look at my eyes and say hey i know
you're hurt i know you're lost but we have to stick together and we will get through this
the family did their best to move on my mom was trying to pull it all together but mike instead
of getting closer got further apart his business absorbed him
my mother would deal with things with love and positive affirmation
and she was trying everything because she was a woman of there is a solution for every problem
but only two years after the death of a son the family faces another tragedy
a bizarre shooting has left marlene warren clinging to life it was so out of the ordinary
you know something as benign as a clown would knock on the door just was such a tragedy
tragic twist
the cops the detectives and everything were there in every room in my house and like
searching through things and i was just like what's going on you know
but they explained to me that they were securing the scene and i would have to go
downtown and talk to them investigators collect any evidence that might help them catch the gunmen
investigators collect any evidence that might help them catch the gunmen forensically there wasn't much
forensically there wasn't much
forensically there wasn't much left at the scene in terms of fingerprints
left at the scene in terms of fingerprints
left at the scene in terms of fingerprints or dna or any physical evidence such as
or dna or any physical evidence such as
or dna or any physical evidence such as that
that
that the basket with the flowers and the
the basket with the flowers and the
the basket with the flowers and the balloon were collected and saved but other
balloon were collected and saved but other
balloon were collected and saved but other than that nothing else had been touched
than that nothing else had been touched
than that nothing else had been touched for investigators it was important that
for investigators it was important that
for investigators it was important that nothing was stolen this was not a robbery
nothing was stolen this was not a robbery
nothing was stolen this was not a robbery this was an out-of-the-way residential
this was an out-of-the-way residential
this was an out-of-the-way residential community you had to know where you were
community you had to know where you were
community you had to know where you were going you had to have a purpose so that
going you had to have a purpose so that
going you had to have a purpose so that led police to think that
led police to think that
led police to think that this was something personal clearly this
this was something personal clearly this
this was something personal clearly this is somebody that had a vengeance for
is somebody that had a vengeance for
is somebody that had a vengeance for marlene warren
coming up as marlene clings to life
investigators uncover a potential motive.
Everyone in the company would see them showing public displays of affection.
And a suspect emerges.
Do you own a clown suit?
No, I don't.
There was a lot more to the story.
At a West Palm Beach hospital, doctors
are fighting to save the life of 40-year-old Marlene Warren
after she was shot by a gunman dressed as a clown.
The bullet went into her face, through the back of her mouth,
and lodged in the back of her neck, in her vertebrae.
Marlene's injuries were so severe that she
had to be placed on life support.
I called Mike that day when he was on the way to the racetrack.
And I told him, Mom just got shot.
And you need to do something about that.
And he told me to come home.
And he said he was on his way.
When she comes out of surgery, her family is by her side.
I remember talking to a doctor.
And she told me that I had my mom stable,
but she was not breathing on her own.
It was a pretty serious situation.
They were able to recover the projectile from her neck area.
But she never regained consciousness.
I knew she wasn't coming back, you know.
My grandmother had to make that decision.
They gave her all the information.
They weren't telling me anything.
My grandmother said, hey, they're
not getting any responses, any pulse, anything.
We have to let her go.
Marlene said, hey, you know, I'm not going to let you go.
I'm not going to let you go.
Marlene's family made the decision
to take her off life support.
And she died that day at age 40.
And that was the hardest day of my life.
Hardest day of my life.
Marlene's loved ones are devastated.
But they're also determined to help police
catch whoever killed her.
Her son Joe and his friend who witnessed the attack
are the first to speak with investigators.
Each of the young people were interviewed with regard
to what the clown looked like, male or female, height, weight,
the color of the costume itself, whether there was a wig
or a mask or paint for the face.
I was looking at every detail that I could look at.
The car was all white.
It was a LeBaron.
It had a maroon or reddish interior for the carpet.
It stuck out like a soldier.
It had a short thumb.
It would be hard to say how tall the clown was because of the hair.
That put another six inches on the person.
So with that said, probably about five, nine.
The face looked like a mask because it was so smooth.
It looked like a China doll.
The gloves, it seemed like the hand was big.
That's all I could see.
Their first impression was that it was a male
because of the height.
They were wearing combat boots instead of clown shoes.
It looked like the person intended
to make a quick getaway.
That's why this person was not wearing the floppy clown shoes.
So this took planning.
Detectives immediately issue an alert for the white LeBaron.
They then ask Marlene's husband, Michael,
to accompany them to the station for questioning.
The law enforcement is going to immediately look at the spouse,
especially when nothing was taken, when there was no robbery.
And so naturally, they would look at Michael Warren.
Michael had an airtight alibi.
He was in a car with his friends on the way to a racetrack
when he got the call that his wife had been shot in the head.
What were you going to Miami for?
Horse racing.
The people he was in the car with confirmed that he was with them
at the time.
At the time of the shooting.
The reason that you're here today is mainly
we wanted to get some background on your wife.
And see if there's anybody in her past
that may have come back to haunt her.
Anything come to mind recently that somebody really
got angry with you?
I mean, not enough to check anybody's mind right now.
Michael Warren volunteered.
They had some rental properties that Marlene would largely
be responsible for collecting the rents.
I mean, you know, she takes care of the apartments.
And she's always doing eviction.
You know, I guess she always developed enemies.
They were respectful, but they made notes about his behavior.
And they did note that he was grieving.
And that discussion ended.
When detectives speak with Marlene's son, Joe,
he shares a different perspective on her work-client relationships.
I remember when she would go collect rent,
and I'd go with her.
If they didn't pay, she would work with them.
She was never rude to any one of them,
even though they were rude to her.
She was always understanding.
You can just rule that out that some angry tempter
would've had the motivation to commit murder in her own home,
dress up as a clown.
It didn't make any sense.
Before wrapping up Joe's interview,
detectives wonder if anything in Michael's life
could have led to this.
When this detective started questioning me,
I was subconsciously protecting Mike.
He was my father.
I knew for sure that he had anything to do with it.
But I wouldn't say anything bad about the man.
I told him Michael Warren's business
was to sell and rent cars.
And he was getting really good at it.
He could influence people in ways that no one could.
Michael Warren had a shady past.
He would display misleading advertisements
to try to confuse his rental car company with the more
established ones.
But he had no idea what he was doing.
He had no idea what he was doing.
there was a bad business deal or a client of his
who may have had a grudge against him.
Detectives find out Michael's business practices
weren't the only dishonest things taking place at the car lot.
He's always had an excuse.
One or two o'clock in the morning, he would say,
oh, I have to repossess these cars.
You know, when your husband don't come home
till 3, 4 in the morning, you throw up a red flag.
And she told other people she thought Michael was having an affair.
After my brother died, I noticed he was living two different lives.
A week or two before my mom approached me,
she said, me and your father are arguing.
And she was very upset, and I'd never seen her that way.
Joey, I've come to the conclusion that your dad doesn't love me anymore.
She said, if anything ever happens to me,
know that he had something to do with it.
After learning about Michael Warren's unscrupulous behavior,
investigators pay a visit to his car lot
to find out if any of it played a part in his wife's murder.
He wasn't the person who pulled the trigger,
but was he involved in some way?
That's what I'm trying to figure out.
That's what police wanted to know.
When police re-interview Michael's co-workers,
they confirm a potential motive at play.
I was around Mike for a long, long time, every day, day and night.
And I knew that Mike was having an affair.
The employees of the Bargain Motors, to a person,
they all said that it was well known that Michael Warren
and one of the employees, Sheila Keene, were having an affair.
And it had been going on for some time.
The employees at a Bargain Motor
all described Sheila Keene as a tomboy.
She would often wear combat boots
and would dress in a manly fashion.
Not too many people at the business spoke fondly of her.
Given the multiple reports of Sheila and Michael's entanglement,
police must look into who Sheila Keene really is.
26-year-old Sheila was from a small town
on the shore of Lake Okeechobee in southern Florida.
It's a farming community right on the edge of the Everglades.
She was pretty, tall, long, shiny brown hair.
And she was also really tough, rambunctious,
always full of energy.
She had married a man named Richard Keene
sometime in the late 80s.
He went by the nickname Spud.
And he was a repo man.
And Sheila, being the fearless woman that she was,
started doing repo work with him.
That's how she got connected to Michael.
Richard Keene was doing work for Michael Repossessing Cars
and one day brought his wife Sheila along.
She jumped in and said,
I'm going to help you.
And she jumps out of his tow truck
and onto the car lot and right into Michael's life.
Eventually, her husband stops working with Michael,
moves on to other things,
but Sheila stays on board
and she starts doing more repo work for Michael.
And other people who worked on the lot
really started to notice that she and Michael
were spending more and more time together.
They began an open and obvious relationship
and they really didn't take great pains to conceal it.
It was no secret that he was a player.
They'd leave the door to that open.
There was no hiding it.
According to his employees,
Michael seemed to be in it for the sex,
but Sheila wanted something more.
They described that Sheila's
relationship with Michael
and the behavior had begun escalating
in terms of her possessiveness of Michael.
I think it started off as fun, having sex and stuff.
And then she realized,
oh, I can make a good life here
if I can get Marlene out of the picture
and have him to myself.
She and her husband Richard,
eventually they got divorced.
Sheila would openly say that life would be better
if Marlene Warren wasn't alive.
When detectives confront Michael about the affair,
he claims it was a misunderstanding.
He admitted that others had thought
they were having an affair,
but he denied it.
Michael told law enforcement that
his relationship with his wife of 20 years was strong.
There was no problems.
Nothing was awry.
Compared to witness testimonies,
police find Michael's version
of events unlikely.
Their suspicions are really strong
that there was this affair going on.
So they questioned Sheila.
I just want you to understand
that you're here voluntarily.
You have the right to leave at any time.
Okay.
We have more and more people telling us
that the two of you had a very committed relationship.
So we're trying, you know,
we're trying to basically figure out
why that. Well, I can tell you why.
It's because. As far as, you know,
a lot of women were concerned,
I know a lot of women
that wanted to go out with them.
And they thought that I was,
which I wasn't.
No, we had no sexual involvement at all.
And following up with that,
they obviously also asked her
where had she been the day before
at the time of the homicide.
She didn't have a really strong alibi for that day.
She said that the morning of the shooting,
she was. She was out repossessing cars.
But she didn't really have any proof of that.
The description of the shooter given by Marlene's son
indicated it was a man.
But looking at Sheila,
detectives wonder if he was mistaken.
No.
I don't.
Have you ever purchased a clown suit?
No.
Sheila agrees to provide a hair sample
should any evidence surface
to rule her out.
But her cooperation stops there.
Well, if you're telling me that I'm a suspect,
is that what you're telling me?
I'm telling you that there's a lot of things
that make it look like
I couldn't be involved.
So, I think that I need to go find me an attorney
if I think you think I'm a suspect.
At this point, there wasn't enough to make an arrest.
There was nothing to forensically be able to say.
There was nothing to say that Sheila Keen is the person
that went to the door dressed as a clown.
Detectives hope the unique items left at the crime scene
might provide the connection they're looking for.
There were flowers and a basket and a balloon.
It was important to trace those items back
to the store where they were purchased,
and that could lead them to the killer.
They ultimately discovered that a local nearby Publix
sold that exact style of basket and balloons and flowers.
A couple of employees there told police,
yeah, we sold a woman that same Memorial Day bouquet of flowers
and two foil balloons.
Unfortunately, the store doesn't have surveillance cameras
and the woman paid in cash.
But investigators are upset.
They're undeterred.
The Sheriff's Department went to all of the local businesses
that may have offered such a costume for sale or rent.
They find a clown shop on South Dixie Highway
in West Palm Beach.
And the owner of the costume shop told officers
that a few days earlier, a woman had called the shop
and asked, do you sell clown suits?
And they did.
So the woman said, well, I want to buy one.
Can I come in?
She needed a colorful jumpsuit.
She needed the orange wig.
She needed plenty of face makeup to completely conceal the face.
But she did not need the clown shoes.
They said it was a woman with long hair, dark eyes,
and manly features, the same description
that Joe gave to law enforcement.
Law enforcement brought the photo lineup to the costume store employees.
They showed it to three employees.
Two of them specifically identified Sheila King
Two of them specifically identified Sheila King
Two of them specifically identified Sheila King
as the individual who bought the clown costume.
as the individual who bought the clown costume.
Coming up, mounting evidence points to a killer driven by jealousy.
Police found fibers from a wig, a clown wig.
And they also found human hair.
But will it be enough to bring the killer to justice?
to justice. He said, "I don't care if it takes 25 years. We're gonna find out who killed your mom."
Less than a week into their investigation, police in Wellington, Florida have a suspect for the
murder of Marlene Warren. They've potentially connected 26-year-old Sheila Keene to the clown
costume worn by the gunmen. And on May 30th, another piece of evidence emerges. All of the
witnesses described a white Chrysler LeBaron that the clown arrived and left in. Four days
after the homicide happened, a white Chrysler LeBaron was located abandoned in a nearby Winn
Dixie parking lot. When investigators run the VIN number on the car, they discover it's
been reported stolen.
Payless car rental agency indicated that that car had been rented by this husband and wife from up north and not been returned to them.
It was learned that the wife looked in the yellow pages, thought she was calling Payless, where they had rented the car from, but she fell for a deceptive ad and she called a Bargain Motors. There was an
ongoing dispute between a Bargain Motors and Payless, where cars would get returned to a Bargain Motors, an error, and they would keep them. So as a result of that deceptive advertising, a Bargain Motors was able to siphon off business from Payless.
The couple reported that they last saw the vehicle when they thought they dropped it off with Payless.
But Bargain Motors told them to leave the vehicle outside our gate.
Now, with the car recovered, police have a direct link between Marlene's murder and Bargain Motors, Sheila's workplace.
Within that car was some important evidence. Police found fibers from a wig, a clown wig, and they also found human hair.
Unfortunately, police are unable to verify the hair belongs to Sheila.
At the time, there was no DNA testing, and so they couldn't be conclusive. Prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence to pick her up for the charge.
Investigators have no new leads to go on. The investigation into Marlene's murder has gone cold.
But police aren't ready to give up just yet.
Law enforcement had already been looking at Michael.
Michael Warren's business practices with the Bargain Motors.
Four months after Marlene died, investigators moved on Michael's car lot, and they raided it.
And they looked through all the files and all the boxes.
The raid doesn't turn up any new evidence related to Marlene's murder, but it does prove Michael had been committing fraud.
In 1992, he was formally charged with the evidence that they gathered.
In 1994, Michael Warren was sentenced to eight years in prison for the racketeering and the odometer fraud.
He's released from jail in 1997. He's no longer considered a suspect in the murder. So this story sort of drops out of the media.
When he got out, I talked to him one time on the phone, and it was out of nowhere. I guess he just got released.
That was the last time I talked to him for over three decades.
After serving his sentence, Michael moves to Virginia to make a fresh start.
And sources tell investigators he has a new wife named Debbie.
They were living together in a beautiful big house in Virginia.
Because Michael Warren was not charged with Marlene Warren's death, he was able to be the beneficiary of the $53,000 life insurance.
He left me like a bag of trash after all this.
I had abandonment issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, I had depression.
After a few years, I figured that they're not gonna find this person overnight.
I started practicing on becoming a builder, you know.
After this thing happened, I didn't know what I was going to do, and I had to do it one thing at a time.
In Florida, Marlene's loved ones spend the next 17 years clinging to hopes that her killer will eventually be brought to justice.
I was waiting for closure.
I would call every year to the detective's office, and Detective Williams, he said, "Joe, I'm gonna tell you something."
He said, "I don't care if it takes 25 years."
"We're gonna find out who killed your mother. I promise you."
And you know what? They did.
In 2014, a grant comes in related to cold case investigations, and Palm Beach County uses some of that money to take a new look at the murder of Marlene Warren.
They start reexamining some of the evidence, including the victim.
And they're looking at balloons that the clown delivered and find a long brown hair on one of the ribbons that hadn't been discovered in the original examination.
Detective Paige McCann sent off a lot of the trace evidence, including hairs, fibers, to the FBI for mitochondrial DNA testing.
With the new science, they had the opportunity to open up a brand-new lead in the case.
They had samples from Sheila that they could compare.
Which samples were found in the LeBaron and on the balloon ribbons.
While awaiting results of the DNA analysis, investigators discover Sheila has also remarried.
When investigators looked up the marriage license, they realized that the person Michael was married to, who supposedly was named Debbie, was not Debbie.
It was Sheila Keene Warren.
Sheila Keene had bleached her hair.
Bleached her hair blonde and was now going by the name Debbie.
I found out they were married and that just put the puzzle together for me.
I believe Sheila Keene murdered Marlene Warren because she wanted Marlene Warren's life.
This is the act of a sociopath.
This is the act of a cold-blooded killer who thinks they can take away someone's life and not look back and just move away and try to deceive everyone for the next 27 years.
nearly three decades after the murder of Marlene Warren investigators have discovered evidence that
could breathe new life into a case that left a quiet Florida community in shock this case has
received a lot of attention because it combined a lot of different things you've got evil clown that
you would only see in the movies you've got sex and you've got violence so you can see why people
are so interested in this advances in DNA technology allow forensic specialists to conduct
a more thorough analysis of the hair found in the getaway vehicle and what they find is chilling
it was
able to be forensically determined that hair was Sheila Keen's
so now you've tied Sheila Keen Warren to the chrysalid baron you have tied her to the clown
costume you have tied her to the balloons and the flowers so you have means motive and opportunity
and now you have DNA
it's enough for detectives to finally obtain a warrant
for Sheila's arrest
we were contacted by the West Palm Beach Florida Sheriff's Office in regards to the possibility of a
lady that was residing in our county by the name of Sheila Keen Warren when we were ready to affect
the arrest which I believe was on September 27 2017 she and her husband Michael were out of town
we were able to ascertain information that they were somewhere around the Roanoke area
they pulled her over they put in the back of a cruiser and she doesn't ask why she's arrested it's like she knew
since there is no evidence of Michael's involvement he is free to go
but Sheila is immediately taken in for further questioning
I'm here to talk to you about a case from several years ago yeah I mean I really don't want to talk
to you okay do you want to know what you're charged with yeah okay um you're charged with
the first-degree murder including
I didn't do it, so that's a different story, I'm not talking to you.
With Sheila behind bars, prosecutors must now build out their case.
Science can be very tricky and it's not always 100%.
Cold cases are hard enough to prosecute as is because memories fade, evidence spoils.
A lot of it is not just that DNA is found, you've got to tie it together.
Are the witnesses still alive?
Can they testify on the stand?
Sheila is extradited back to Florida to stand trial.
But by 2020, a series of COVID-related delays take a toll on the state's case against her.
Law enforcement officers, who we depended on to introduce the evidence at trial, one
by one, they became unavailable.
Amid mounting concerns, prosecutors decide to forego the trial and offer Sheila a plea
deal in 2023.
The agreement that was reached was that Sheila would admit to having killed Marlene Warren
and in exchange, she would be sentenced to 12 years in the Department of Corrections.
Sheila accepts the deal, but neither side is happy with the outcome.
She doesn't.
"Sheila Keane Warren did not plead to this crime because she committed this crime.
The state offered her this sweetheart deal because the state knew that nobody in their
right mind would turn it down."
"It's one of the most frustrating things as a prosecutor to know that someone committed
the most heinous crime of all and one day will walk free.
But the fact that we're able to get some measure of justice for Joseph and for his mother,
Marlene Warren.
Is a victory."
"A few years later when I came out of my shock, I looked at a bunch of pictures of
her.
The eyes.
There was no doubt after that picture.
None.
I saw the eyes of the killer that did it."
For Marlene's loved ones, life will never be the same.
"It impacted everybody in our family and still does.
Some are still shut down like I was and I try to help them and it's a process, you know,
it's a slow process."
"My mom is going to be remembered in this world because of what I do and how I do it.
Love one another, you know, care about one another.
If I can do it, from what I've been through, I believe everybody can do it."
"I don't want to be a victim of a crime.
I want to be a victim of a crime."
"If I can do it, from what I've been through, I believe everybody can do it."
Sheila Keene Warren was released from prison in November 2024 at 61 years old.
Michael Warren was never charged in connection to Marlene's murder.
He maintains that he had nothing to do with the death of his wife.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Marlene Warren, a respected housewife, is murdered in her home by a clown who shoots her in the face, an act described as heinous and deeply personal.
The murder occurs in a wealthy Florida neighborhood, where a white LeBaron with a red interior is linked to the crime through eyewitness and vehicle recovery.
A long-standing affair between Marlene’s husband Michael and employee Sheila Keene is uncovered, providing both motive and opportunity for the crime.
Despite initial lack of physical evidence, trace items like a clown suit, flowers, and hair are traced back to Sheila, who bought the costume and had access to the vehicle.
Advances in DNA testing in 2014 and later confirm that human hair found on the getaway car and balloons matches Sheila’s, linking her directly to the crime.
Sheila, who had previously married under a false name (Debbie) and bleached her hair, is identified as the killer through motive, opportunity, and forensic evidence.
Prosecutors pursue charges, but due to delays and witness unavailability, a plea deal is offered in 2023, resulting in a 12-year sentence.
The case closes after nearly 30 years, with Marlene’s family finding closure and the murder being recognized as a cold-case victory through forensic science.
Summary:
In 1990, 40-year-old Marlene Warren is brutally murdered in her Florida home by a clown who shoots her in the face. The attack, a shocking and personal crime, occurs in a wealthy neighborhood where the killer’s identity remains elusive. Initially, investigations focus on her husband, Michael Warren, due to the absence of robbery and the lack of physical evidence.
However, employee testimonies reveal a prolonged affair between Michael and Sheila Keene, a tough, energetic woman who worked at Michael’s car lot. This relationship, marked by possessiveness and jealousy, becomes a key motive. Though early evidence is circumstantial, forensic advances in 2014—particularly DNA analysis of hair found on the getaway car and balloons—confirm Sheila’s involvement.
The evidence ties her to the clown costume, the vehicle, and the crime scene, establishing motive, opportunity, and means. After years of stalled progress, Sheila is arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Facing delays due to witness unavailability and pandemic-related issues, prosecutors offer her a plea deal, resulting in a 12-year sentence.
She is released in 2024, while Michael is never charged. The case, once a silent mystery, becomes a landmark in cold case solving, highlighting the power of forensic science and the enduring impact on Marlene’s family, who continue to advocate for empathy, connection, and vigilance against hidden violence.
FAQs
Sheila Keene Warren was identified as the killer. Evidence, including DNA matching hair found on the getaway car and balloons, linked her to the crime. She admitted to the murder in a plea deal.
The motive was jealousy and a desire to eliminate Marlene Warren, who was the wife of Michael Warren and the mother of the children. Sheila had an affair with Michael and believed Marlene's presence blocked her from having him to herself.
The killer was identified through a combination of evidence: a clown costume purchased by Sheila, DNA testing of hair found on the getaway car and balloons, and witness testimony describing her appearance and behavior. A marriage license revealed she had married under a false name, confirming her involvement.
No, Michael Warren was not involved in the murder. He had an alibi and was never charged. However, he was involved in a fraudulent business operation and later sentenced to prison for racketeering and odometer fraud.
The clown suit was used as a disguise by the killer to carry out the murder. It was purchased by Sheila, and the suit's description matched the witness accounts of the attacker, providing a key link to her identity.
Advances in DNA testing allowed forensic specialists to analyze hair samples from the crime scene and match them to Sheila Keene Warren. This provided conclusive evidence linking her to the murder, which had not been possible in the original investigation.
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