DNA and store receipt link ‘killer clown’ murderer as a woman who shot husband’s first wife 27 years ago: Prosecutors

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a woman accused of shooting down another woman in cold blood

A “killer clown” costume receipt, hair fibers in a clown wig, a getaway car, and a Publix receipt led police to arrest a Virginia woman for the murder of her husband’s first wife, who was shot and killed in 1990.

CBS reports that Sheila Keen Warren, 54, was arrested in 2017 for shooting and killing her husband’s first wife, Marlene Warren, in her Wellington, Florida home. At the time, Keen Warren wasn’t married to her now husband, Michael Warren, but was rumored to be having an affair with him.

On Thursday evening, the prosecution quietly released the evidence, which includes witness statements, DNA found inside the getaway car that matched Keen Warren, and receipts to a Publix store that’s located half a mile away from the suspect’s then-home.

On May 26, 1990, someone dressed in a clown outfit with an orange wig, red nose, and painted face knocked on Marlene’s door while holding flowers and balloons, according to prosecutors. When Marlene answered the door, the suspect allegedly handed her the flowers and balloons before shooting the victim in the case. The “killer clown” then walked back to the getaway car, a white Chrysler LeBaron, and drove away.

Attorney Richard Lubin speaks during the first court appearance of his client Sheila Keen Warren on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Florida prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Warren, who is accused of dressing up like a clown in 1990 and fatally shooting the wife of a man she later married. (Adam Sacasa/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Store employees at a nearby store that sold clown outfits and accessories later told police that shortly before the murder, a woman knocked on store doors after closing time and begged to buy a clown outfit. The store employees relented and let her in. The employees later saw Keen Warren in a lineup and although they thought it was her, they were not 100% sure if she was the same woman who bought a clown outfit and wig at the store.

Further, one of the balloons given to Marlene had the words “You’re the Greatest” on it. Publix was the only store that sold those particular balloons. Employees at the Publix close to the suspect’s former home told police that a woman matching Keen Warren’s description came in the store and bought the exact balloon.

Police later found the getaway car abandoned; they gathered red wig fibers from inside the car and DNA that matched Keen Warren. The same car was reported stolen from Michael Warren’s used car lot a month prior to Marlene’s murder.

Although Keen Warren is the only suspect in custody at this time, the victim’s 20-year-old son was in the home at the time his mother was killed. He got in his own car and chased after the suspect’s car after the shooting. He never caught up with the car, but said he got close enough to see that the suspect driving the car was “definitely a man.” Prosecutors stated that Michael Warren hasn’t been ruled out as a suspect.

Michael Warren, Keen Warren’s now-husband, apparently didn’t appear upset after his wife was killed, according to witnesses. Court documents reflect that witnesses said the pair often fought and Marlene Warren confronted him on his affair with Keen Warren shortly before her death. Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance confirmed that he received a $53,359.37 after his Marlene’s death, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Keen Warren’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 9. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.

[Feature Photo: Sheila Keen Warren/Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office]