On May 26, 1990, in Wellington, Florida, Marlene Warren answered the front door to find a clown on her stoop. The clown had brown eyes, an orange wig, red nose, a smile painted on its white face, a clown suit, high-top sneakers, two balloons and carnations in one hand, and a hidden pistol in the other. One of the balloons read, “You’re the greatest.” Marlene’s 20 year old son and his friend watched as the clown handed Marlene the gifts and then shot her in the face. The clown walked to the curb, got in a Chrysler LeBaron convertible, and drove away. Marlene died in the hospital two days later. The shooting would be considered a cold case until September 2017.
Marlene was married to Michael Warren at the time of her death. He owned a used car sales lot. A woman named Sheila Keen worked for him at the time, repossessing cars for his business. Several of his employees saw the two intimate at work and Sheila’s neighbors said he frequented her place, though both Sheila and Michael denied any affair. Michael was a person of interest; he claimed his marriage was a happy one, while friends and Marlene’s family had other things to say. Marlene often threatened to divorce him due his numerous affairs and one hefty incident of domestic violence.
In 1994 Michael Warren was convicted of grand theft, racketeering, and odometer tampering and spent four years in a maximum security prison, though his wife’s murder remained unsolved. Investigators reopened the case in 2017 in hopes that forensic testing would bring the cold case to a close.
The car used by the clown to escape was found abandoned in a shopping center not long after the crime occurred - it had been stolen from another car lot. Police recovered fibers of the orange wig as well as human hair from the car. The hair was tested against Sheila’s and found to be a match. Additionally, police had testimony from two shop clerks at a costume store not far from Michael’s car lot. The clerks told police that just after close a couple days before the murder, Sheila begged to be let in the store just as they were closing. She was desperate for a clown wig, clown costume, and enough white make up to conceal her face. The clerks obliged her. Almost 30 years later the clerks were brought in by police to look at a photo line up. One positively identified Sheila as the customer, while the other said it may have been her but they were not entirely sure.
Police arrested Sheila in April of 2018 in Virginia where she lived with Michael - police did not know the two married in 2002. Sheila was transferred to Palm Beach, Florida, where she is currently awaiting trial as of May 2018. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
