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Killer clown unmasked after 27 years
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Clowns come in all kinds. There's the Insane Clown Posse, who have marched on Washington and are apparently woker than we could ever hope to be. There's actual working clowns, who hate the 'killer clown' shtick cause its actually killing their wages. Clowns of the world, unite! There are supernatural spiders from IT pretending to be clowns, and then, of course, you have your standard fare killer clowns.
The Miami Herald's "crime of the year" in 1990 was committed by one such clown. In a dazzling story of murder, love, and unmasking, one woman was exposed as a killer clown - and for marrying her victim's husband. Yeah. Does it get any crueler than that?
On May 26th, 1990, Marlene Warren was killed. She lived in Florida, Palm Beach County. She answered her door innocently on that day, only to find a clown staring back at her. The clown had a white face, a big orange wig, and the typical red nose. A full clown costume completed the get-up, presumably with big goofy shoes. This seems less like IT, and more like a standard kid's party clown. The visitor also held a bouquet of flowers, all carnations, and came bearing two perfectly inflated balloons. How thoughtful...
The clown handed Marlene Warren all these gifts. One of the balloons was themed with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Just when all seemed fine, the clown pulled out a revolver pistol and shot Warren in the head. The clown left the scene peacefully and got into a car, where she drove away. Two days later, Warren was dead in the hospital from the bullet wound.
Now, 27 years later, the clown has been arrested. Sheila Keen-Warren was 54 years old, and picked up by police on charges of first degree murder. Of course, you may have noticed that the killer has the same last name as the person she killed. That's from her victim's husband.
Apparently, the balloons were purchased from a Public grocery store, and someone with Sheila's appearance was noted by a civilian before the murder, with a clown costume recently purchased.
"We have two suspects, and they are Sheila Keen and Michael Warren," said Lt. Steve Newell way back in 1991. Did this clown have a behind-the-scenes affair with this woman's husband, and dress up to kill her and take her spot? The pair were married in 2002, so it would have to be a longstanding affair.
In 2014, the cold case was brought back to life by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. How? Well, a vehicle matching the car used as a getaway in the murder was found with the classic orange clown's wig inside it. DNA evidence from some hair fibers indicted Sheila Keen-Warren easily.
So, to recap: a man and a woman had an affair. The woman wanted to kill this man's wife so they could marry. To do so, she dressed up as a clown, of all things, and shot her on her porch. Then, years later, the discovery of the clown wig had her arrested, dead to rights.
What a strange, sad tale.
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