After three decades, Florida "killer clown" case ends with unexpected twist

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This communicative antecedently aired connected Oct. 28, 2023.

The 1990 execution of Marlene Warren, changeable by idiosyncratic dressed arsenic a clown, haunted not conscionable the public, but the Palm Beach County State Attorney 's Office. Despite identifying 2 suspects, the case, went unsolved for decades.

Dave Aronberg is the existent authorities attorney.

Dave Aronberg: It's casual to spot wherefore this lawsuit has truthful overmuch involvement … who isn't acrophobic of a slayer clown?

Dave Aronberg: This was an assassination. This was not a random enactment of violence. This was not a robbery.

Joe Ahrens: The unknowingness of this heinous crime. The fearfulness … it was hell.

Joe Ahrens was 21 and surviving astatine location with his stepfather Mike and his parent Marlene erstwhile she was murdered.

Joe Ahrens: She was a bully mother. … Everything she did, she took pridefulness in.

A DEADLY DELIVERY

The greeting of May 26, 1990 had started arsenic a cheerful one. Ahrens, recuperating from a breached leg, was having meal astatine location with his ma and 3 friends erstwhile they saw a clown approaching carrying balloons and flowers.

Joe Ahrens: And we benignant of … figured … I had a formed on, idiosyncratic was sending, to heal and — for motion …

Peter Van Sant: This is like, "Oh, what a delightful gift," to cheer you up with your breached leg, right?

Joe Ahrens: Right.

Joe Ahrens: My parent opened the doorway … And past we heard "bang" and she fell. At that point, we knew thing was wrong. … My parent was struggling to respire … And past I jumped to the phone, you know, called 911 close away.

As the clown dilatory and silently walked to a car, Ahrens and immoderate of his friends tried to get a person look astatine thing that mightiness assistance picture the disguised attacker.

Joe Ahrens: The lone happening it didn't person immoderate colour connected it was the shoes that were coagulated achromatic and the achromatic gloves.

Peter Van Sant: And did you announcement thing astir the clown's eyes?

Joe Ahrens: I did. That's the astir happening I — I saw was the large brownish eyes.

Peter Van Sant: And the clown gets successful the car. What benignant of car was it?

Joe Ahrens: It was a achromatic LeBaron.

Peter Van Sant: And does the car peel off?

Joe Ahrens: No. It goes into cogwheel and drives disconnected similar thing happened.

While immoderate of Ahren's friends remained astatine his location waiting for EMS, helium got into Marlene's car and tried to pursuit down the clown. But helium couldn't drawback up.

Meanwhile, with the clown's balloons and flowers near behind, Marlene was rushed to the hospital, hardly alive, wherever she was enactment connected beingness support.

Joe Ahrens: I kept telling her I emotion her, and I don't privation her to go, and delight don't permission me.

Two days later, with nary anticipation of a recovery, beingness enactment was removed, and Marlene died.

Joe Ahrens: I knew my beingness was going to alteration and I knew it was going to go hell, due to the fact that she wasn't present to assistance me.

A apical hint the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office had was Joe's statement of the clown: astir 6-foot-one, tall, skinny, with orangish hair, a reddish chemoreceptor and a large orangish grin and male. And those balloons near behind? They present seemed cruelly mocking: "You're the greatest" 1 said. The different had a representation of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

Authorities had besides spoken with Joe's stepfather Mike Warren, who they learned had an alibi: helium was successful a car with friends heading to a racetrack erstwhile the shooting took place.

Peter Van Sant: Growing up with Mike Warren, what was that like? Was helium a bully dad?

Joe Ahrens: I thought so. … That's the lone begetter I knew. I mean I was truly young erstwhile my existent begetter and parent separated.

Marlene and Mike Warren were joined erstwhile Ahrens was 3 years old. They had built a comfy beingness successful Wellington, Florida, an affluent suburb. Marlene owned respective businesses, including flat complexes, and the mates ran Bargain Motors, specializing successful utilized cars and rentals.

While concern was good, the marriage, says Ahrens, was troubled. He says his parent became convinced Mike was having an affair, making her fearful.

Joe Ahrens: She said, "if thing does hap to me, your begetter did it."

Peter Van Sant: She said that to you?

Joe Ahrens: I told her nary mode — helium would ne'er bash thing similar that. She said don't enactment it past him.

Marlene shared that aforesaid fearfulness with her mother, Shirley Twing.

Shirley Twing: She says, "If thing happens to me, Mike did it."

We interviewed Twing successful 2017, erstwhile "48 Hours" started investigating Marlene's murder.

Peter Van Sant: That's an ominous happening to say. … Did you consciousness fearfulness successful her voice?

Shirley Twing: Sure. Yes, I did.

So, erstwhile Twing learned her girl had been murdered, her caput went to Mike Warren.

Shirley Twing: Right away. I figured Mike had thing to with it, that's for damn sure.

But Mike Warren had that alibi, truthful authorities were looking for idiosyncratic else. And erstwhile they visited Bargain Motors, Mike's spot of business, 1 sanction kept popping up: that pistillate with whom Mike was supposedly having an affair.

Aleathea McRoberts: Everybody astatine the Bargain Motors were reporting that you should look archetypal astatine Sheila Keen.

Aleathea McRoberts, an adjunct authorities lawyer successful Palm Beach County, has worked connected the lawsuit from the beginning.

Aleathea McRoberts: And wrong the adjacent time oregon so, tips were being called successful that you truly should analyse Sheila Keen and Michael Warren.

Della Ward (2018): They were decidedly seeing 1 another.

Della Ward worked astatine Bargain Motors with Mike Warren.

Della Ward (2018): He had a batch of compassion, batch of empathy. And radical conscionable were drawn to him … particularly women.

One of those women, Ward believed, was Sheila Keen.

Della Ward (2018): I recovered her precise nice, precise bubbly. … you knew the mode she looked astatine Michael — you conscionable … she loved him, you could spot it.

Keen, who besides had a estimation for toughness, was a repo woman—repossessing cars astatine Bargain Motors.

Della Ward (2018): To bash repos, you person to person immoderate benignant of guts. … She told me, "I support a weapon for my extortion due to the fact that radical are crazy, what they do."

Keen told investigators she was retired moving astatine the clip of Marlene's murder.

Aleathea McRoberts: She claimed that she was looking for repossession vehicles, but she was incapable to supply immoderate code that she went to … truthful that they could travel up and corroborate it.

As for the affair, some Keen and Mike Warren told investigators they were conscionable friends. But that's not what authorities learned erstwhile they talked to Keen's neighbors.

Aleathea McRoberts: The neighbors astatine that flat analyzable believed that Michael Warren and Sheila Keen were hubby and wife.

Peter Van Sant: Is determination immoderate uncertainty successful your caput that determination was a — romanticist relationship?

Aleathea McRoberts: There's nary uncertainty and … they didn't fell it.

An affair, though, isn't needfully a motive for murder.

Peter Van Sant: Did anyone nett financially from Marlene's death?

Aleathea McRoberts: Yes. So, Michael Warren … profited … largely, the properties and assets that they owned unneurotic were successful her name. So, by her predeceasing him, helium was capable to get 100 percent of the assets.

Investigators were besides trying to find section stores that had precocious sold clown outfits. Deborah Offord had been moving astatine a costume store when, 2 nights earlier Marlene's murder, a lawsuit knocked astatine the doorway astatine closing time.

Deborah Offord (2018): She wanted to spot the clown costumes. I said, "Can you travel backmost tomorrow?" And she said, "No, I request thing close now."

Offord told investigators the lawsuit paid cash, buying a clown suit, an orangish wig, constitution and a reddish clown nose.

Deborah Offord (2018): She was, I would say, astir 5'10, um, long, thick, straight, like, chocolate-colored hair. Big brownish eyes.

Detectives aboriginal presented Offord with a photograph lineup that included a representation of Sheila Keen. Offord identified Keen, and 1 different woman, arsenic perchance being the idiosyncratic who bought the clown costume.

The sheriff's bureau besides believed they located wherever the shooter bought those flowers and balloons — a Publix supermarket.

NEWS REPORT: The purchaser described arsenic a achromatic pistillate with acheronian brownish hair.

The statement of the lawsuit fixed by the idiosyncratic astatine the supermarket, "brown hair," and astatine the costume store, "brown hair, brownish eyes." was accordant with Sheila Keen. And determination was Sheila's reported matter with Mike Warren. It was intriguing, circumstantial evidence—but would it beryllium capable to marque an arrest?

SEARCHING FOR A KILLER WHO WAS DRESSED AS A CLOWN

Joseph Ahrens: Before they turned the instrumentality disconnected connected my parent … I told her that I loved her precise overmuch and that we were going to get justice.

As Ahrens mourned the nonaccomplishment of his parent Marlene, investigators continued looking for further grounds tying Sheila Keen to Marlene Warren's murder.

Dave Aronberg: You speech astir this lawsuit to anyone, and the archetypal spot radical spell is, yeah, it's the mistress … So, investigators focused connected Sheila Keen.

And soon a large interruption erstwhile detectives located an abandoned achromatic Chrysler LeBaron—matching the statement witnesses gave of the getaway car.

Peter Van Sant: What was recovered wrong that Chrysler LeBaron?

Aleathea McRoberts: There was synthetic fibers … akin benignant fibers to … a clown wig.

They were orange, the aforesaid colour arsenic the wig Ahrens says the assailant was wearing. Also wrong the car, they recovered a quality hair. It was brownish similar Sheila Keen's.

LOCAL NEWS REPORT: Sheriff's detectives executed a hunt warrant astatine the location of Sheila Keen.

Inside Keen's closet, detectives accidental they recovered orangish fibers that a forensic introspection aboriginal concluded were akin to the ones recovered successful the Chrysler LeBaron. And different breakthrough was made erstwhile Keen's hairsbreadth from her flat was compared to the 1 recovered from the getaway car.

Aleathea McRoberts: That was scientifically microscopically examined and recovered to beryllium consistent.

Consistent with Keen's hair, but DNA exertion was inactive successful its infancy successful 1990, and scientists were incapable to marque a definitive connection.

There were different challenges for investigators. The weapon utilized to termination Marlene and the existent costume the slayer clown wore were ne'er found. And remember, Ahrens thought the attacker was a 6-foot-tall man. Keen didn't acceptable either of those descriptions.

Aleathea McRoberts: We're talking astir an lawsuit that took seconds and their glances of this clown was a 2nd oregon two.

Also, McRoberts says immoderate eyewitness would person a hard clip describing idiosyncratic successful a baggy clown costume, constitution and a wig.

Aleathea McRoberts: It's basically, a clown is simply a clown.

And determination was Keen's alleged matter with Mike Warren, those fibre and hairsbreadth results, and those salesclerks astatine the costume and market stores whose statement of the lawsuit purchasing the clown outfit, balloons and flowers was accordant with Keen.

Peter Van Sant: This sounds similar it's — the grounds is truly gathering up … it's similar you've got capable determination to marque an arrest. What happens?

Aleathea McRoberts: Well, determination was surely statement astir that … and opinions that differed astatine the time. … and past there's … an indecision about, bash I bash it present oregon should we support trying and get a small spot more?

As investigators looked for much evidence, they discovered that Mike Warren's business, Bargain Motors, was connected to the suspected getaway car. They learned an worker stole the car from a rival respective weeks earlier the murder.

Dave Aronberg: And that's however they got the Chrysler LeBaron.

NEWS REPORT: Sheriff's detectives spent astir 5 hours Thursday nighttime searching the offices of Bargain Motors …

And arsenic they had investigated Mike Warren's business, they discovered wide fraud—charging him with racketeering, security fraud and odometer tampering. He yet was convicted connected 43 counts of fraud and sent to prison.

Dave Aronberg: This was for fraud. … And so, you know, you conscionable can't extrapolate 1 to the next. I mean, there's nary grounds that he's a murderer. … We bash person our suspicions, though.

He was not charged with immoderate transgression successful transportation with Marlene's murder. And Mike Warren felt helium was a unfortunate successful this lawsuit — sentiments helium shared successful a vigor interrogation earlier helium went to prison.

MIKE WARREN (radio interview): They wanted to enactment maine retired of business.

Mike Warren speculated that Marlene mightiness actually have been the unfortunate of an aggravated tenant oregon car buyer.

MIKE WARREN (radio interview): I truly can't deliberation of a crushed why, uh, different than the information of the benignant of businesses that we're in, arsenic acold arsenic being landlords and … crossing a fewer radical by repossessing their car.

But instrumentality enforcement did not deliberation Marlene Warren's execution was the enactment of a disgruntled tenant oregon customer, and arsenic the years passed the lawsuit grew cold. And arsenic for Keen, she seemed to disappear.

Della Ward: Nobody ever brought her sanction up again.

Joe Ahrens: You know, for galore years … I was suffering in, successful despair.

After Mike Warren went to prison, Ahrens says helium and his stepfather became estranged. And arsenic helium continued to grieve the nonaccomplishment of his mother, helium was consumed by her lawsuit going unsolved.

Peter Van Sant: Give maine a consciousness of what problems you fell into aft your mother's murder.

Joe Ahrens: Oh, wow. Where bash we start? … Alcoholism, drugs, I mean you sanction it.

It was particularly painful, says Ahrens, connected each passing day of the shooting.

Joe Ahrens: I would stroke up that time and spell get drunk, you know, and conscionable … I'd spell to her gravesite … It was sad.

Peter Van Sant: Would you spell retired to her sedate to speech to her?

Joe Ahrens: I did a batch to effort to find answers, you know, but I was truthful confused. I was getting nothing. I was conscionable lost.

Joe yet emerged from the fog of drugs and despair. With that down him, helium became progressively definite of who murdered his mother.

Joe Ahrens: I concluded that … Sheila Keen was the 1 that did it.

Dave Aronberg: She astir apt ne'er thought, successful a cardinal years, she'd beryllium held accountable for her crimes. She thought she got distant with it.

COLD CASE UNIT MAKES BREAKTHROUGH

Shirley Twing and her daughter, Marlene, shared a fascination with clowns. In Twing's home, she adjacent kept a country afloat of clown creation and figurines.

The sad, sometimes unsettling images brought comfortableness to Twing, contempt the information that a clown had truthful brutally ended her daughter's life.

Shirley Twing: I don't hatred clowns. I conscionable hatred one.

Although the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office hadn't fixed up connected solving Marlene's murder, 27 agelong years had passed without an arrest. Then, by 2017, a acold lawsuit portion made a breakthrough. State Attorney Dave Aronberg yet had new, important evidence.

Dave Aronberg: The hairs that were recovered successful the LeBaron were capable to beryllium traced to Sheila Keen … done DNA technology.

With that new DNA match, detectives believed they could present definitively link Keen to the alleged getaway car— and to Marlene Warren's murder. And erstwhile sheriffs recovered fishy Keen, they were blown distant to larn whom she had married.

Dave Aronberg: After Michael Warren got retired of prison, helium reconnected with … Sheila Keen. … here's idiosyncratic whose woman had been murdered and helium conscionable joined the main suspect.

Peter Van Sant: What did that archer you?

Dave Aronberg:: When you harvester the information that the 2 of them were successful an matter … astatine the clip of the execution … and past later, they got joined … it did look similar ngo accomplished.

That matrimony was successful 2002. The Warrens, present middle-aged, settled into a caller beingness successful Tennessee, moving a burger associated called Purple Cow. Keen took Mike Warren's past name. But successful an absorbing twist, Assistant State Attorney Aleathea McRoberts says she changed her archetypal name.

Aleathea McRoberts: Sheila Keen-Warren introduced herself to … their friends successful that beingness that her sanction was Debbie. … She had died her hairsbreadth blonde, changed her name, and was surviving a afloat life.

Brook Blevins: We would person … dinners. They were fantastic cooks.

The Warrens befriended Brook Blevins, a neighbour astatine a play spot the mates purchased successful the Virginia mountains. When "48 Hours" spoke to Blevins successful 2018, she said she besides knew Mike's woman arsenic "Debbie" and was told it was a puerility nickname.

Brook Blevins: Her dada nicknamed her that erstwhile she was small.

Ashley Sexton (2018): I ne'er called her Sheila (laughs). I ever called her Debbie.

Former Purple Cow employees, Ashley Sexton and Cynthia Swafford accidental they knew Debbie arsenic a pugnacious boss.

Cynthia Swafford (2018): I mean, she was atrocious aggressive, mean.

And they adjacent heard an alarming rumor astir her past.

Ashley Sexton (2018): The rumor astir Purple Cow erstwhile we worked determination was Debbie killed Mike's ex-wife. … I thought they was blowin' disconnected steam, and I was like, OK, whatever.

Cynthia Swafford (2018): Mm-hmm (affirms).

Ashley Sexton (2018): But the rumors said it much than erstwhile … adjacent to wherever we knew she dressed up similar a clown.

According to an employee, Sheila had appeared successful clown constitution astatine the edifice 1 twelvemonth during Halloween.

By the autumn of 2017, the Warrens had sold the concern and retired afloat clip to the location successful Virginia. Meanwhile State Attorney Aronberg felt the lawsuit against Sheila had lone gotten stronger.

Dave Aronberg: When you harvester the information that they got joined and seemingly lived happily ever aft with the caller DNA breakthrough, we're capable to get capable grounds to marque an arrest.

On Sept. 26, 2017 — 27 years aft Marlene Warren's murder, authorities arrested Sheila Keen-Warren driving connected a roadworthy adjacent their home. She was charged with first-degree murder.

Greg Rosenfeld: Sheila did not execution Marlene Warren.

Greg Rosenfeld, Sheila Keen-Warren's defence attorney, says Sheila was not the shooter.

Greg Rosenfeld: Everything was truthful methodical … this idiosyncratic walking up to the location … committing this shooting and past dilatory walking distant … We're dealing with idiosyncratic who … had acquisition successful committing a deed oregon a murder.

Peter Van Sant: That's not Sheila?

Greg Rosenfeld: That is not, Sheila.

Shortly aft Sheila's arrest, Dave Aronberg addressed reporters.

DAVE ARONBERG: Today we filed a announcement of intent to question the decease punishment successful this case.

REPORTER: Can you accidental whether Michael Warren is simply a suspect?

DAVE ARONBERG: I can't accidental that.

Aleathea McRoberts says determination was thing Keen-Warren asked arsenic she was being taken into custody that caught prosecutors' attention.

Aleathea McRoberts: One of the archetypal things she said is, well, "are you gonna apprehension him too?" Pointing to her husband.

Peter Van Sant: Which suggests what to you?

Aleathea McRoberts: That she knew precisely what she was being arrested for and they had done it together.

Ahrens had travel to the aforesaid conclusion: that his stepfather and Keen-Warren were some progressive successful his mother's murder.

Peter Van Sant: Would you similar to spot Mike Warren charged successful the execution of your mother?

Joe Ahrens: Yes, I would.

With Keen-Warren successful custody, "48 Hours" wanted to talk with Mike Warren.

Peter Van Sant: We're going to spell to his beforehand door, springiness it a knock, and spot if he'll reply a mates of questions.

QUESTIONING THE EVIDENCE

After the apprehension of Sheila Keen-Warren successful 2017, "48 Hours" wanted to speech to Mike Warren astir what helium knew astir his wife's murder.

Peter Van Sant: [knocking connected beforehand door]: Hey, Mike. I'm Peter Van Sant with CBS News.

He wouldn't unfastened the door, but we spoke done it for respective minutes.

Peter Van Sant: Did you person thing to bash with readying the execution of your wife, Marlene?

Mike Warren: Most decidedly not.

Peter Van Sant: You did not?

Mike Warren: That's correct.

He was adamant that neither helium nor Keen-Warren had thing to bash with Marlene's murder.

Peter Van Sant: Did you suggest to Sheila that she formal successful a clown outfit?

Mike Warren: You're saying, "Sheila, Sheila." Who says she adjacent did that? …I don't deliberation she had thing to bash with this. If I thought she had thing to bash with this, I wouldn't person been with her.

Peter Van Sant: Do you believe, based connected the grounds implicit the years, that Mike Warren knew what was going to hap that day?

Aleathea McRoberts: I don't judge there's immoderate nonstop grounds of that.

Dave Aronberg: There conscionable wasn't capable grounds to prosecute Michael Warren. … but if grounds emerges, we'll prosecute it.

As they prepared for trial, contempt ne'er recovering the clown disguise oregon the gun, prosecutors were assured they could beryllium that Keen-Warren committed the execution truthful that she could wed Mike Warren.

Dave Aronberg: Sheila Keen-Warren had the means, the motive and the accidental to bash this.

Greg Rosenfeld: We volition ne'er cognize who killed Marlene Warren due to the fact that the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and the State Attorney's Office did specified a mediocre occupation investigating this case. I tin archer you without question that it was not Sheila Keen.

Keen-Warren's defence attorney, Greg Rosenfeld says she's innocent—a unfortunate of the authorities attorney's reckless tendency to adjacent a notorious acold case.

Greg Rosenfeld: And they said you cognize what? This is our suspect. We're going to instrumentality with it. … adjacent though the pieces of the puzzle didn't acceptable the puzzle.

Rosenfeld says determination were different imaginable suspects authorities ignored—including an inmate who supposedly bragged successful situation astir murdering Marlene. But prosecutors accidental helium was investigated and cleared.

Dave Aronberg: It's not astonishing that … they would effort to constituent the digit astatine instrumentality enforcement for not looking astatine each imaginable suspect. … But if you look astatine the evidence, it pointed to 1 idiosyncratic each along, Sheila Keen-Warren.

The authorities was assured Keen-Warren was liable for Marlene's murder—but Rosenfeld plans to poke holes successful its lawsuit astatine trial.

Peter Van Sant: How bash you flooded DNA evidence?

Greg Rosenfeld: The State Attorney's Office should beryllium embarrassed astir the DNA grounds successful this case.

Rosenfeld agrees the hairsbreadth prosecutors accidental was recovered successful the LeBaron getaway car could beryllium from Keen-Warren, but helium says, it could besides beryllium from astir 4 percent of the U.S. Caucasian population.

Greg Rosenfeld: They couldn't exclude Marlene Warren from that hairsbreadth sample. … So that was their groundbreaking DNA evidence.

And adjacent if you concede that the hairsbreadth is from Keen-Warren, says Rosenfeld, there's an guiltless mentation arsenic to however it got there: the LeBaron was connected the batch astatine Bargain Motors wherever she worked.

Greg Rosenfeld: Sheila whitethorn person been successful the car utilized successful this murder. That's it.

Peter Van Sant: The defence lawyer says, well, of people her hairsbreadth mightiness beryllium successful determination … It doesn't suggest that she was driving astatine the clip of the murder. What bash you accidental to that?

Aleathea McRoberts: It's conscionable 1 much link. … Once you enactment that 1 happening with the totality of each the circumstances, past it starts to go overwhelming.

Rosenfeld says the orangish fibers recovered successful the car, which prosecutors accidental could beryllium from the clown costume, should besides beryllium excluded.

Greg Rosenfeld: So, the fibers recovered successful the car were synthetic fibers. … That aforesaid benignant of fibre tin beryllium utilized successful thousands of antithetic products. … So, the authorities likes to contiguous it arsenic … clown wig fibers, but that's factually incorrect.

Even much troubling than the grounds gathered, says Rosenfeld, is however it was handled implicit the decades.

Peter Van Sant: What are we looking astatine here?

Greg Rosenfeld: These are … grounds bags astatine the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Evidence Unit torn open. Just gaping holes successful these grounds bags.

Peter Van Sant: If there's gaping holes, what tin that bash to the grounds inside?

Greg Rosenfeld: That's precisely however you person cross-contamination.

The container contains a clown wig that investigators purchased, akin to the 1 they believed was worn by the assailant. They utilized it to comparison to the fibers recovered successful the LeBaron and successful Keen-Warren's home.

Greg Rosenfeld: This is an unfastened grounds container with the wig sticking out. … this is horrifying.

Peter Van Sant: And, so, your bottommost enactment is, is that this grounds is unreliable now?

Greg Rosenfeld: Without question.

Peter Van Sant: Can it not beryllium argued that … immoderate of the grounds successful this lawsuit was so bungled?

Dave Aronberg: You know, it's — you're asking a batch of instrumentality enforcement to beryllium cleanable from 1990 to today. … immoderate of the grounds was kept successful an grounds retention country that wasn't ideal. … Any mistake, immoderate tiny opening volition beryllium exploited by defence lawyers.

Prosecutors were inactive definite they had the close idiosyncratic for Marlene's murder. But successful February 2020, aft a reevaluation of Keen-Warren's case, they announced they would nary longer question the decease penalty.

Peter Van Sant: Were you told by the prosecutor's bureau that determination was ever a accidental successful a assemblage proceedings that she mightiness adjacent beryllium acquitted?

Joe Ahrens: Yes.

FROM DEATH PENALTY TO LIFE IN PRISON TO A PLEA DEAL

It is said the wheels of justness crook slowly, and erstwhile it came to the execution of Marlene Warren,

that grind often seemed to travel to a halt. After the 27-year hold for an arrest, Sheila Keen-Warren's proceedings kept getting delayed. By 2022, she had spent 5 years successful jail; her proceedings was postponed six times.

Aleathea McRoberts: And past we had COVID … So, it conscionable was 1 happening aft another. … decades of accumulation, of files and photographs and … mountains of grounds and documents.

Defense lawyer Greg Rosenfeld was besides trying to enactment his mode done each that evidence. And helium says, adding to the delays, was a deficiency of practice from the state.

Greg Rosenfeld: Evidence kept — I'd say, disappearing.

Rosenfeld says 1 important portion of grounds for the defence that disappeared for years was what investigators called the "clown sighting file."

Greg Rosenfeld: These were each the tips … astir radical who alleged to person seen clowns successful the area.

Peter Van Sant: That opens up, for you, caller avenues arsenic to imaginable suspects, right?

Greg Rosenfeld: Absolutely. Absolutely. … I deliberation the sheriff's bureau and the State Attorney's Office conscionable decided they didn't privation to look for this evidence

But past suddenly, successful October 2022, arsenic different proceedings day neared, the record was found.

Aleathea McRoberts: It was located, not with the Sheila Keen clown execution … boxes, it was really a record retired of place.

Greg Rosenfeld: They find this clown sighting record and it's 35 tips. We statesman to analyse them. … present we're 32 years aft the murder. … you know, we couldn't way down these witnesses.

Aleathea McRoberts: I've seen it and … it's silly things … Clearly clown sightings that had thing to bash with Marlene Warren.

Peter Van Sant: And it wasn't being intentionally hidden from the defense, you're saying.

Aleathea McRoberts: Absolutely not. We were meticulous astir making definite they had everything.

Though, arsenic the proceedings neared, the decades of delays were causing problems for the prosecution arsenic well.

Dave Aronberg: Every time that went by, it was a tougher case. … witnesses die, memories fade, grounds spoils … One of our cardinal witnesses passed away. … He was the 1 who compiled the evidence. And without him, we mislaid a concatenation of custody for immoderate important grounds relating to the fibers.

Evidence the defence already claimed had been poorly stored and mishandled.

Greg Rosenfeld: Contaminated, inadmissible, unreliable. … it conscionable goes to amusement you however mediocre of an probe that was done.

Dave Aronberg: They were going to beryllium capable to reason that due to the fact that of the opening of the bags, that the grounds was spoiled, and due to the fact that of the interruption successful the concatenation of custody, due to the fact that of the decease of our witnesses, that … it shouldn't adjacent beryllium admitted. … So, you had immoderate existent imaginable for tenable doubt.

Greg Rosenfeld: There was beyond a tenable doubt.

On April 25, 2023, 2 weeks earlier Keen-Warren's proceedings for the execution of Marlene Warren was to begin, determination was yet different astonishment successful a lawsuit that had been filled with the unexpected: a plea woody was reached.

PROSECUTOR REID SCOTT (plea hearing): Ms. Keen-Warren, the suspect herein, volition hold to retreat her antecedently entered plea of not blameworthy participate a plea of guilty.

Keen-Warren — whose lawsuit astatine 1 clip included the decease penalty, past beingness successful situation — would present plead blameworthy to second-degree murder and beryllium sentenced to 12 years successful prison. Under sentencing guidelines for clip served, she is expected to beryllium released successful 2025 — possibly sooner.

Dave Aronberg: We had to marque a judgement based connected what we had.

Peter Van Sant: Because the fearfulness is what, if you instrumentality this to trial?

Dave Aronberg: The worst happening that could hap would beryllium that Sheila Keen-Warren would beryllium recovered not guilty, not due to the fact that she was innocent, but due to the fact that aft 33 years, we could not beryllium beyond a tenable uncertainty that she was the 1 who did it.

But Keen-Warren did person to publically wage a terms for this plea woody — admitting successful unfastened tribunal that she, successful fact, did execution Marlene Warren.

PROSECUTOR REID SCOTT (plea hearing): If this lawsuit were to proceed to assemblage trial, the authorities would contiguous grounds … that connected oregon astir May the 26th of 1990, the suspect was liable for the decease of Marlene Warren.

JUDGE: Ms. Keen-Warren, Did you perceive each that?

SHEILA KEEN-WARREN: Yes.

JUDGE: And bash you hold with that factual basis?"

SHEILA KEEN-WARREN: Yes.

Despite admitting her crime, Keen-Warren, done her attorney, inactive maintains she is innocent.

Greg Rosenfeld: Sheila did not perpetrate this murder. … It was precise hard for her to, uh, admit to committing a transgression that she did not commit.

Peter Van Sant: But arsenic a substance of law, she has admitted to committing the execution by saying yes.

Greg Rosenfeld: Correct. For the intent of —

Peter Van Sant: So, she is simply a convicted murderer?

Greg Rosenfeld: In truthful acold arsenic the instrumentality goes, sure. … But erstwhile … you're told you could beryllium location … or, you know, you tin play Russian roulette and hazard spending the remainder of your beingness successful prison. It's benignant of a no- brainer.

Dave Aronberg: The defence cannot person it some ways. … So, she volition beryllium a murderer for each time for the remainder of her life. Even erstwhile she gets retired of situation 1 day, she'll inactive beryllium a convicted murderer.

When she does get retired of prison, she volition reunite with her hubby Michael Warren.

Greg Rosenfeld: Sheila is going location to … Tennessee. … She's going backmost to her life.

Michael Warren, successful a connection provided to "48 Hours" regarding the plea, said, "My woman did not perpetrate this crime… It was hard to spot her plea to a transgression she did not commit, but it wasn't worthy the gamble erstwhile she was offered a woody that'll person her location successful 16 to 18 months …"

Peter Van Sant: With this deal, determination is simply a accidental that Sheila mightiness get retired of situation wrong the adjacent twelvemonth oregon two. Are you each close with that?

Joe Ahrens: Well, I'm not each close with it, but I person to be.

Still, Joe Aherns approved the plea deal, feeling it wasn't worthy the gamble of going to trial.

Joe Ahrens: That was precise affectional due to the fact that that was the extremity of thing truthful immense that grew for 33 years of my life.

Peter Van Sant: Finally. It's over.

Joe Ahrens: Finally, you know. It was phew.

The demons that erstwhile occupied Ahrens' caput are gone, replaced with loving memories of however his parent Marlene lived, alternatively than however that beingness was truthful violently taken.

Peter Van Sant: What would you accidental to your mother, if you could talk to her today?

Joe Ahrens: Wow, what could I accidental to my mother? … "Thank you for showing maine however to emotion and beryllium peaceful and … Thank you for being successful my life."

Marlene Warren's parent Shirley Twing died successful March 2023, earlier Sheila Keen-Warren pleaded blameworthy to Marlene's murder.

After serving 18 months successful prison, Sheila-Keen Warren was released connected Nov. 2, 2024.

Produced by Ruth Chenetz, Richard Fetzer and Sarah Prior. Ryan Smith is the improvement producer. Marlon Disla, Mike Baluzy, Marcus Balsam and Philip Tangel are the editors. Anthony Batson is the elder producer. Nancy Kramer is the enforcement communicative editor. Judy Tygard is the enforcement producer.

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