A woman convicted in one of Florida’s most unusual cold cases has been released from prison. Sheila Keen-Warren, now 61, was freed on Saturday, roughly 17 months after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of Marlene Warren, the former wife of her current husband. According to online records from the Florida Department of Corrections, Keen-Warren took a plea deal shortly before her trial was set to begin, ultimately receiving a 12-year sentence.
Keen-Warren was initially arrested in 2017 in Washington County, Virginia, for her alleged involvement in the 1990 murder. Though she was sentenced to 12 years, she had already been in custody for seven years at the time of sentencing. Her early release was due in part to a 1990 Florida law granting significant credit for good behavior. Despite pleading guilty, Keen-Warren has continued to assert her innocence.
The murder occurred in May 1990 when Marlene Warren was shot in the face as she opened her front door in Wellington, near West Palm Beach. A woman dressed as a clown, complete with an orange wig and holding balloons, was waiting at the door, according to authorities.
One of the balloons said, “You’re the greatest!” and the other had Snow White painted on it, according to news coverage at the time.
Keen-Warren was considered a suspect in the murder almost from the start, but prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to charge her until advancements in technology allowed for the retesting of DNA evidence after the cold case was reopened in 2014. Initially, suspicion fell on Michael Warren, the victim’s husband, as friends and family noted the couple’s marital issues.
As the investigation progressed, authorities uncovered unrelated misconduct at Michael Warren’s car rental business, which led to his conviction in 1992 on 43 counts of odometer tampering, grand theft, and racketeering, according to reports from The Palm Beach Post. He served three years in prison but disappeared in 1997, only to resurface in 2002 when he married Sheila Keen, who later became known as Sheila Keen-Warren. At the time, she worked for Michael repossessing cars.
Detectives were informed just months after the murder that Michael and Sheila were involved in an affair, and it was reported that he had been paying rent for her apartment following her separation from her first husband.
It is currently unclear if Keen-Warren has legal representation.
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