Current:Home > MarketsWoman who pleaded guilty to 1990 'clown' murder released from Florida prison-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Woman who pleaded guilty to 1990 'clown' murder released from Florida prison
lotradecoin platform updates and news View Date:2024-12-26 01:49:15
The woman who pleaded guilty to dressing as a clown and fatally shooting the wife of a man she later would marry has been released from prison, according to Florida Department of Corrections records.
Sheila Keen-Warren, 61, was released from custody on Saturday, Nov. 2, after serving nearly 18 months, state records show. She entered her plea to second-degree murder in April 2023, more than 30 years after investigators found Marlene Warren shot at her Wellington Aero Club home near West Palm Beach, Florida.
The May 26, 1990, fatal shooting is one of Palm Beach County's most notorious murder cases, drawing international attention. Authorities said Warren opened the door and was greeted by Keen-Warren, who was dressed in a clown suit and carrying balloons, flowers and a gun.
Keen-Warren was arrested nearly three decades later in 2017 at her home in Virginia after investigators cited new evidence linking her to the crime. In exchange for her plea, she received a 12-year prison sentence, with credit for the five and a half years she spent in jail while awaiting trial.
Keen-Warren has maintained her innocence despite taking the plea, her attorney saying at the time that she chose to take the state's offer rather than risk a potential life sentence had the case gone to trial.
"We are absolutely thrilled that Ms. Keen-Warren has been released from prison and is returning to her family," her attorney, Greg Rosenfeld, said in a statement to The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network. "As we've stated from the beginning, she did not commit this crime."
However, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said Keen-Warren will forever be linked to Marlene Warren's murder.
“Sheila Keen-Warren will always be an admitted convicted murderer and will wear that stain for every day for the rest of her life," he said in a statement to The Post.
Rosenfeld told The Post in 2023 that Keen-Warren would likely spend about 16 months in prison, citing gain time and Florida sentencing laws that existed at the time of Marlene Warren's murder.
Gain time incentivizes good behavior among inmates, promising to shave time off a person's sentence for each month they remain incarcerated without incident. Current state law requires that people serve at least 85% of their sentences, limiting the amount of gain time a person can accrue, but Keen-Warren was not subject to laws enacted after the crime.
New evidence linked Sheila Keen-Warren to 1990 Wellington 'clown' murder, investigators said
Investigators suspected Keen-Warren of the murder early on, tipped off by her coworkers that she was having an affair with Marlene Warren's husband, Michael. Keen-Warren worked at a car dealership owned by Michael Warren and took care of rental properties owned by Michael and Marlene.
She denied rumors of having an affair with Michael but married him years later. The couple was living in Virginia at the time of Keen-Warren's arrest.
Keen-Warren was formally linked to Marlene Warren's murder after a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detective who took over the case in 2013 discovered a previously unseen 6- to 8-inch fiber among the crime-scene evidence. Prosecutors later argued that the fiber linked Keen-Warren to the murder.
The murder was the subject of a two-hour ABC "20/20" documentary in May 2023, a month after Warren entered her plea.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Streamer stayed awake for 12 days straight to break a world record that doesn't exist
- Planning on traveling for the Fourth of July holiday? Here’s how to avoid the crush
- Tesla ordered to stop releasing toxic emissions from San Francisco Bay Area plant
- South Carolina General Assembly ends 2024 session with goodbyes and a flurry of bills
- 'Business done right': Why the WWE-TNA partnership has been a success
- Neil Young and Crazy Horse cancel remaining 2024 tour dates due to illness
- San Diego brush fire prompts home evacuations, freeway shutdowns as crews mount air attack
- Billy Ray Cyrus, Firerose accuse each other of abuse amid contentious divorce
- Streamer stayed awake for 12 days straight to break a world record that doesn't exist
- Former staffers at Missouri Christian boarding school face civil lawsuit alleging abuse of students
Ranking
- Video shows 2 toddlers in diapers, distraught in the middle of Texas highway after crash
- Michael Jackson's Son Prince Shares Heartbreaking Message on 15th Anniversary of His Death
- Taylor Swift shouts out boyfriend Travis Kelce on Eras Tour debut. Here are the other stars who attended her Wembley Stadium shows.
- Zach Edey NBA player comparisons: Who is Purdue big man, 2024 NBA Draft prospect similar to?
- Efforts to return remains, artifacts to US tribes get $3 million in funding
- Lilly Pulitzer Surprise 60% Off Deals Just Launched: Shop Before You Miss Out on These Rare Discounts
- Valerie Bertinelli is on 'healing journey' after past 'toxic' relationships
- Lilly Pulitzer Surprise 60% Off Deals Just Launched: Shop Before You Miss Out on These Rare Discounts
Recommendation
-
2025 COLA estimate dips with inflation, but high daily expenses still burn seniors
-
US Olympic and Paralympic Committee awards Sarah Hirshland a 5-year contract extension as CEO
-
Missing Chicago woman's family travels to Bahamas for search: 'We want her home'
-
Take 60% Off Lilly Pulitzer, 70% Off West Elm, 76% Off BaubleBar, 45% Off Ulta & More Deals
-
US shoppers sharply boosted spending at retailers in July despite higher prices
-
US economic growth for last quarter is revised up slightly to a 1.4% annual rate
-
House Republicans ramp up efforts to enforce Garland subpoena after contempt vote
-
Starting your first post-graduation job? Here’s how to organize your finances