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Defense attorneys: Killer clown suspect should be released from jail

Clown Killing Florida
Attorney Richard Lubin speaks during the first court appearance of his client Sheila Keen Warren on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Florida prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Warren, who is accused of dressing up like a clown in 1990 and fatally shooting the wife of a man she later married. (Adam Sacasa/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Attorneys for accused killer clown Sheila Keen-Warren will argue during a bond hearing Tuesday that their client should be released from jail while she awaits trial.

Keen-Warren faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the May 26, 1990, shooting death of his future husband’s wife Marlene Warren at her Wellington home.

“Marlene answered the front door and the clown had two balloons, as well as a bouquet of flowers, and went to hand Marlene those items,” McCann told reporters.

Warren, who had been eating breakfast with her then-22-year-old son and several of his friends, was surprised and commented, “How nice.”
Listen to the Full Rigor Podcast about the crime here.

The clown then calmly walked back to the white Chrysler LeBaron in which she had arrived and drove away.

Warren died at Palms West Hospital two days later.

Keen-Warren eventually married Michael Warren in 2002 and moved to Tennessee, where the couple opened a restaurant. She had long been considered a suspect in the shooting, but it took 27 years to arrest her for murder in Virginia in 2017.

“There is no reliable physical or testimonial evidence that she committed this crime, yet Ms. Keen-Warren has been incarcerated without a bond since October 4, 2017,” Greg Rosenfeld, Amy Morse and Richard Lubin wrote in their motion to set conditions of pretrial release. “Any continued restrictions on her liberty are both punitive and a violation of the presumption of innocence.”

They went on to claim that Keen-Warren “is an innocent woman” who should be placed on house arrest until her trial begins.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Keen-Warren.

A November court filing by assistant state attorney Reid Scott details the evidence that prosecutors plan to present during trial.