Female ‘killer clown’ thrown in jail for 12 years – however will get launched after 24 months
A female killer clown has been released from prison less than two years after she pleaded guilty to a 1990 murder.
Sheila Keen-Warren shot her husband’s then-wife in the face while dressed as a clown. Now she has been set free from jail within 24 months of her admission to second-degree murder. The 61-year-old, whose arrest was 27 years in the making, was released from prison for good behaviour despite earlier being sentenced to 12 years behind bars, according to The Associated Press.
Had Keen-Warren’s case gone to trial she could have faced life imprisonment, but instead Florida Department of Corrections records show she left prison on Saturday (November 2).
On May 26, 1990, Marlene Warren, her 22-year-old son Joseph Aherns and his friends were hanging out at their house on Takeoff Place in Wellington, when a white Chrysler turned up, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
(Image: 15th Judicial Circuit Court)
At approximately 10.45am a clown emerged from the car which had parked across the drive, bearing flowers and balloons. After Marlene Warren opened the door, a gunshot rang out within the house. Witnesses say the clown “calmly walked back to the LeBaron and drove away”.
Two days following the shooting, which hit Marlene Warren in the face, she succumbed to her injuries. Despite being a prime suspect in the initial investigation, Keen-Warren wasn’t arrested at the time, the sheriff’s office acknowledged.
(Image: Washington County Sheriff Office)
In a shocking turn of events within the Palm Beach County cold case files the Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit, which reopened the case back in 2014, ended up cracking the case wide open after DNA retests.
They unveiled that Keen-Warren had tied the knot with Marlene Warren’s husband, Michael Warren, in 2002, and the couple had since moved to Tennessee to run their own restaurant.
Detectives were able to piece together enough evidence to establish probable cause for her arrest. Following a grand jury indictment for first-degree murder on August 31, 2017, officials tracked down Keen-Warren in Virginia, apprehending her on September 26, 2017.
(Image: AP)
Keen-Warren pleaded guilty on April 25, 2023.
According to The Associated Press reports, Keen-Warren was once employed by Marlene Warren’s husband at his second-hand car dealership. Despite rumours of an illicit romance between Keen-Warren and her boss, both parties denied such allegations.
Investigators came across orange fibres similar to hair inside the abandoned LeBaron, reported stolen off Michael Warren’s car lot. Allegedly, Marlene Warren had confided in her desire to end the marriage but harboured deep concerns over possible retaliation expressing to her mother, “If anything happens to me, Mike did it.”
(Image: mirror.co.uk)
Although Keen-Warren’s legal team staunchly maintained that there’s a glaring lack of concrete evidence tying her to the crime scene, Michael Warren himself has never found himself under arrest or facing charges related to the case. Post-release, he told The Associated Press: “We are absolutely 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.”
In a statement, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg declared: “Sheila Keen-Warren will always be an admitted convicted murderer and will wear that stain for every day for the rest of her life.”
Join the Daily Star’s WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and lots more
The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us!
Through the app, we’ll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…along with the latest breaking news of course.
To join our community, all you have to do to join is click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in!
No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
