NPR

Killer Clown Suspect Arrested 27 Years After Bizarre Slaying

Detectives worked the case for years but couldn't convince prosecutors they had enough evidence. Sheila Keen Warren was arrested at the home she shares with her husband, who was married to the victim.
Detectives believe Sheila Keen Warren was the clown who shot and killed Marlene Warren in Florida in 1990. This photo of Keen Warren was taken after her arrest Tuesday in Abingdon, Va.

Before our current era of creepy clowns (and the problems they cause for professional clowns), there was a killer clown who frustrated Florida detectives for nearly three decades.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday they had arrested one of their prime suspects from the start: Sheila Keen Warren.

On May 26, 1990, a woman named Marlene Warren answered the front door at her home, a tony community with a private airstrip. Standing at the door was someone dressed as a clown: red bulb nose, an orange wig and a painted-on smile. The clown held a bouquet of flowers and two balloons — one emblazoned with a picture of Snow White and one that said "You're the Greatest!"

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
Mystik Dan Wins The Kentucky Derby By A Nose
In a close finish, Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby by a horse's nostril over Sierra Leone. Contenders waited with bated breath in the seconds before the official decision was made. The thoroughbred had entered the race with 18-1 odds — a longshot c
NPR4 min read
'Zillow Gone Wild' Brings Wacky Real Estate Listings To HGTV
Zillow Gone Wild started in 2020 as an Instagram account devoted to eccentric property listings. The show focuses on homes that defy everyday expectations in some way.
NPR4 min read
Cicadas Are Back On The Menu. One Chef Shares His Dish Ideas — And An Easy Recipe
The cicadas are coming! And so are some new flavor profiles. This spring, the bugs of two broods, the 13-year Brood XIX and the 17-year Brood XIII, will crawl from the ground simultaneously across the eastern and southern parts of the United States.

Related Books & Audiobooks