Florida's convicted killer clown released from prison

5 hari yang lalu

CBS News Live

CBS News Miami Live

A female who pleaded blameworthy to dressing arsenic a comedian and successful 1990 murdering nan woman of a man she later joined was released from situation Saturday, ending a lawsuit that has been unusual moreover by Florida standards.

Sheila Keen-Warren, 61, was released 18 months aft she pleaded blameworthy to second-degree execution for nan shooting of Marlene Warren, Florida Department of Corrections records show. The plea woody came soon earlier her proceedings would person started.

Keen-Warren, who has maintained her innocence moreover aft her plea, was sentenced to 12 years successful prison. But she had been successful custody for 7 years since her apprehension successful 2017, and Florida's rule successful 1990 allowed important in installments for bully behavior. It had been expected she would beryllium released successful astir 2 years.

"Sheila Keen-Warren will ever beryllium an admitted convicted murderer and will deterioration that stain for each time for nan remainder of her life," Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said successful a connection Saturday.

Greg Rosenfeld, Keen-Warren's attorney, has said she only took nan plea deal because she would beryllium released successful little than 2 years and had been facing a life condemnation if convicted astatine trial.

"We are perfectly thrilled that Ms. Keen-Warren has been released from situation and is returning to her family. As we've stated from nan beginning, she did not perpetrate this crime," he said Saturday successful a matter message.

Marlene Warren's son, Joseph Ahrens, and his friends were astatine location erstwhile they said a personification dressed arsenic a comedian rang nan doorway bell. He said that erstwhile his mom answered, nan comedian handed her immoderate balloons. After she responded, "How nice," nan comedian pulled a weapon and changeable her successful nan look earlier fleeing.

Palm Beach County sheriff's investigators had agelong suspected Keen-Warren successful nan slaying, but she wasn't arrested until 27 years later erstwhile they said improved DNA testing tied her to grounds recovered successful nan getaway car. Rosenfeld has called that grounds weak.

At nan clip of nan shooting, Keen-Warren was an worker of Marlene Warren's husband, Michael, astatine his utilized car lot. Since 2002, she has been his woman — they yet moved to Abington, Virginia, wherever they ran a edifice conscionable crossed nan Tennessee border.

Witnesses told investigators successful 1990 that nan then-Sheila Keen and Michael Warren were having an affair, though some denied it.

Over nan years, detectives said, costume shop labor identified Sheila Warren arsenic nan female who had bought a comedian suit a fewer days earlier nan killing.

And 1 of nan 2 balloons — a metallic 1 that read, "You're nan Greatest" — was sold astatine only 1 store, a Publix supermarket adjacent Keen-Warren's home. Employees told detectives a female who looked for illustration Keen-Warren had bought nan balloons an hr earlier nan shooting.

The presumed getaway car was recovered abandoned pinch orange, hair-like fibers inside. The achromatic Chrysler convertible had been reported stolen from Michael Warren's car batch a period earlier nan shooting. Keen-Warren and her then-husband repossessed cars for him.

Relatives told The Palm Beach Post successful 2000 that Marlene Warren, who was 40 erstwhile she died, suspected her hubby was having an matter and wanted to time off him. But nan car batch and different properties were successful her name, and she feared what mightiness hap if she did.

She allegedly told her mother, "If thing happens to me, Mike done it." He has ne'er been charged and has denied involvement.

But Rosenfeld said past twelvemonth that nan state's lawsuit was falling apart. One DNA sample someway showed some antheral and female genes, he said, and nan different could person travel from 1 retired of each 20 women.

And moreover if that hairsbreadth did travel from Keen-Warren, it could person been deposited earlier nan car was reported stolen. He said Marlene Warren's boy and different witnesser besides told detectives that nan car deputies recovered wasn't nan killer's, though investigators insisted it was.

Aronberg past twelvemonth conceded that location were holes successful nan case, saying they were caused by nan 3 decades it took to get it to trial, including nan decease of cardinal witnesses.

Michael Warren was convicted successful 1994 of expansive theft, racketeering and odometer tampering. He served almost 4 years successful situation — a reward his then-attorneys said was disproportionately agelong because of suspicions he was progressive successful his wife's death.

He did not respond to a telephone connection near for him Saturday.