("Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who playing)
NARRATOR: CSI: Miami,
the global television phenomenon.
In this series, we'll explore crime
through an entirely new lens.
DISPATCHER: Marlene Warren was just shot.
NARRATOR: The investigations on this program are true.
Ride along with the real CSI experts.
VINCE WEINER: This was most brutal homicide in over 25 years.
CRUX CONCEPTION: Forensic science,
it was the key witness.
NARRATOR: Talk to the real suspects.
I didn't kill anybody, dude.
NARRATOR: Hear from the real victims.
I couldn't believe it. I'm in a state of shock.
NARRATOR: And ultimately, solve the case
through the use of forensic science.
We still have a homicide suspect somewhere out there.
This is... WOMAN: A murderer.
REPORTER: A disturbing story has come in... (overlapping voices)
* *
NEWS ANCHOR: 40-year-old Marlene Warren,
mother and wife is fighting for her life here
at this Palm Beach hospital.
NEWS ANCHOR 2: Shot twice in the face,
her assailant, a person wearing a clown mask.
LOU SESSA: In 1990, I worked for the Palm Beach
County Sheriff's Office.
Midmorning on the 26th of May,
received a 911 call that a shooting had occurred,
and that the victim was shot in the face.
The suspect was dressed as a clown.
Told my guys, I said, "Saddle up."
I responded with my entire squad.
Uh, we knew right from the get-go,
this is something that-that's gonna be big.
Prior to our arrival, Miss Warren was transported
to Palms West Hospital.
Her condition was critical.
This is a normal housewife doing her normal duties,
and gets shot by the front door.
This doesn't happen in Wellington, Florida.
Most houses, uh, run a million dollars plus.
The private homes have access to their own airplanes.
It's a very unique community.
When we got there, the crime scene had been
roped off by road patrol.
It was a gray stuccoed house,
double doors that were probably ten feet high.
Received information
from the road patrol sergeant
that the suspect never entered the home.
This is the area
where Marlene was shot.
Our crime scene was towards the front door.
BERTHA HURTADO: Because there was very little to go off of,
the preservation of the evidence was critical.
My name is Bertha Hurtado.
I am a crime scene technician
working for the Davie Police Department.
And I'm also a forensic anthropologist.
HEIDI SIEVERS: They only had
a tiny area to really search
for evidence relating to that doorway
and the path that the suspect walked from their car.
My name is Dr. Heidi Sievers.
I am a forensic consultant
and bloodstain pattern analyst, and I have been
in the forensic field for roughly ten years.
They want to start memorializing the scene
through notes, sketches,
measurements, and of course, photographs.
They're also gonna start looking for items of evidence
that were left behind
or touched by a victim or a suspect.
At home at the time
was her son Joe,
his girlfriend Jean, Jean's brother Wendell
and Wendell's girlfriend Mindy,
along with Mindy's infant son.
Witnesses told investigators that,
prior to shooting Marlene in the face,
the clown handed two objects over to her.
As investigators worked their way into the crime scene,
they discovered these specific items of evidence.
First piece of evidence that was encountered
were two balloons,
one that was heart-shaped,
with, uh, scripture saying, "You're the greatest."
And the second balloon,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Along with the balloons, investigators also found
a basket containing red and white carnations
and a blue bow near Marlene.
Upon collecting the balloons,
as well as the basket of flowers,
those items were then sent to the lab
in hopes for finding
any fingerprint evidence that could potentially
be matched to a suspect.
There was an area of blood within the front entryway
where the victim had been lying.
SESSA: We would try to process anything on the door.
And we did take some photographs of the interior of the house.
But we're limited in that because the suspect
never entered the house.
HURTADO: Everything seemed very difficult
because there was very minimal evidence.
SIEVERS: Back in 1990, when this case took place,
forensics really was still in its infancy.
DNA was still not something that was utilized,
whether it be testing or collection on scene.
So that wouldn't have even really been
a thought at the time.
They spoke with numerous individuals
who were in the home at that time,
one of which was the victim's son.
Joe Ahrens is Marlene Warren's son.
He was 20 years old.
He was living at home at the time
and witnessed the shooting of his mother.
That day was the worst day of my life.
I had some friends over.
We finished up breakfast, or we were in the process of,
when there was a knock at the door.
My friend said, "Hey, somebody's at the front door."
And my mom said, "No, sit down,
finish your breakfast. I'll get it."
So my mom went to the door.
We were not expecting a clown with flowers.
And I heard, "Oh, how pretty."
And I heard "bang."
And she fell to the ground.
I ran up to her.
I noticed she was shot in the mouth.
She had her teeth missing, and she was gasping for air,
and it was a horrible thing.
I held her hand, and I was trying to get a response.
"Please don't leave me," praying,
telling her, "It's gonna be okay."
I guess I was trying to tell myself that.
NEWS ANCHOR: Marlene Warren is on the second floor
of the Palms West Hospital.
She is on a life support system and in critical condition.
She is reported to be clinically brain-dead.
HURTADO: She was on life support,
and it wasn't until Marlene's mother arrived
that they pulled the plug.
And it was just a matter of seconds,
and she passed away immediately.
SESSA: This wasn't just
a random shooting.
This was planned.
We need to find out
a little background on the victim.
SIEVERS: As they are looking at the crime scene,
investigators learn, really, the totality
of Marlene's love for clowns.
HURTADO: Marlene's home was
covered in clowns.
Marlene had a passion for clowns.
She loved them, she painted them.
The people who would know about this
were people who were very close to her.
SIEVERS: In law enforcement, we really don't believe
too much in coincidences.
So the fact that she loves clowns so much
and the fact that the suspect was dressed as a clown...
...is not a coincidence.
AHRENS: She loved clowns.
It was so wrong.
Somebody knew somebody.
SIEVERS: The biggest question
that is looming over investigators is why?
What is the motive behind shooting
and ultimately killing someone who,
to everyone, seemed like was living
a very nice, normal, affluent life?
What is going on in Marlene's life
that may have led someone to ultimately want to kill her?
* *
AHRENS: People talk about my mom.
There's nothing bad.
I would go to the duplexes,
and we would be collecting rent,
and people would say, you know, "I'm behind,"
and she would tell them, "Not to worry, we'll figure it out."
NEWS ANCHOR: Warren owned several apartments in Palm Beach County,
and tenants say, even though she's had
to oversee a few evictions,
Marlene Warren was very well-liked.
She was basically more of a friend
than she was a landlord.
She's like a sister to me... (sniffles)
...and I wanted her to be godmother of my kids.
AHRENS: My mother's gone.
I mean, it-it took the light right out of me.
HURTADO: Who was this individual
that wanted Marlene gone, and why?
The investigators know that the person
who plotted this
knew that a person that is dressed as a clown,
with flowers and balloon,
poses no threat, at least in her eyes.
So, that was a key component
for the investigative team.
But everything seemed very difficult
because there was very minimal evidence.
So now investigators started looking into
the basket of flowers and the balloons
that were recovered from the scene.
SESSA: In 1990,
technology attributed to DNA
was not available.
The processing of the evidence,
they used a method called cyanoacrylate,
which, commonly known as, uh, superglue.
SIEVERS: The process of superglue fuming
relates to the heating up of superglue
and it turning from a liquid into a gas state
through a process known as polymerization.
Then the superglue fumes will adhere
to the moisture in the prints
and turn those prints white, a process known as chlorosis.
The prints can then be visualized with our naked eye,
as well as using oblique lighting with a flashlight.
And they can be photographed
and then further enhanced by investigators.
In this case, superglue fuming was utilized
on the Mylar balloon for fingerprint evidence.
HURTADO: There were partial ridge details
that were found on the balloon,
but it wasn't enough to actually render a profile.
Joe Ahrens and his friends described the clown
as approximately six feet in height,
wearing full clown makeup,
a multicolored clown jumpsuit, as well as black boots.
Unfortunately, eyewitnesses alone are not reliable.
You know, you need to go by what is factual.
SESSA: The autopsy revealed that she died
subsequently from a .38 caliber revolver,
and the projectile and fragments that were recovered
were placed into evidence and kept on file
so we could match them with ballistics
if a revolver was ever recovered.
SIEVERS: According to court records,
the autopsy report reveals that Marlene
sustained a gunshot wound to the upper lip,
traveled through her mouth, fracturing her teeth,
and the projectile lodged in one of her vertebrae.
Around the entrance wound, she had evidence
of an abrasion ring, as well as presence of stippling,
which is when particles of gunpowder
essentially tattoos the skin on the lower portion of her face.
And that's going to suggest to us
that it is a close or near contact range.
The way the projectile went through
was in a downward trajectory.
The suspect was definitely taller than Marlene.
Marlene was five-four.
Afterwards, I was talking with the detectives
and they were asking me about the getaway car.
It was a white convertible LeBaron.
SESSA: We put a BOLO out for the Chrysler LeBaron
with all law enforcement agencies in Palm Beach County.
What this basically means is "be on the lookout for."
SIEVERS: From the evidence collected at the crime scene,
investigators were not left with any viable leads.
So the next step in this investigation
would be to immediately start looking
at the people closest to her
as far as suspects or people of interest.
SESSA: We had a lot of thoughts as far as who the clown could be.
And of course, we couldn't rule out Michael,
the victim's husband.
You always look at the spouse.
Because the majority of murders in this situation
are attributed to marital problems.
SIEVERS: They had been married for multiple years,
and he was the owner and operator of Bargain Motors,
a local auto dealership in the area of Wellington.
When we look at the description of the suspect,
Mike Warren is relatively tall, in that six-foot range.
He had access to numerous vehicles.
He knew that his wife would be home at the time,
he had access to firearms,
and he knew that she had a love for clowns,
which is a personal, intimate detail about Marlene.
As investigators start uncovering more information,
it is critical that they reach out to Michael Warren
to check on his whereabouts at the time of the murder.
Investigators locate Michael Warren
and bring him in for an interview.
HURTADO: The investigators found Michael being very cooperative
and continued to ask him questions
pertaining to his relationship with Marlene.
Detectives learn that his relationship
with his wife is seemingly normal,
on a positive note, their relationship was great.
But upon interviewing Marlene's stepsister, Jamie Twing,
it was revealed
that Marlene had expressed problems in their marriage.
HURTADO: This information changed everything because
the marriage between Michael and Marlene
was not as good as he had portrayed it to be.
SIEVERS: Investigators have their first real lead.
Why was Michael lying about his marriage?
They know that the clown drove a white LeBaron,
and Mike owned a used car dealership,
so he had access to plenty of cars.
Investigators need to find out
where was Michael at the time of Marlene's murder?
* *
SIEVERS: Investigators start to theorize
that Mike Warren was the shooter in his wife's homicide.
Maybe Mike Warren went to purchase the flowers
and the balloons around 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning.
Returned back home that morning dressed like a clown
and shot Marlene in the face...
...and fled the scene. (tires squealing)
Michael and Marlene Warren owned numerous pieces of property,
and everything was in Marlene's name.
So, if something had ever happened to Marlene,
Michael was sole beneficiary,
and he would get everything.
For the investigative team,
that's already a motive.
When investigators reach Michael Warren,
they asked him about his whereabouts
at the time the crime was committed.
SIEVERS: Mike Warren tells investigators that he left his home
between 7:00 and 8:00 in the morning
and went to work at Bargain Motors.
Around 11:05 a.m., he was picked up by two of his friends,
and they headed south from Palm Beach to Miami
to the horse racetrack, where they had a horse running.
Marlene Warren was shot at her home
between 10:30 and 10:45 a.m.
He had a solid alibi.
You have West Palm Beach on one extreme
and Miami on the other, north and south,
so the distance is pretty wide.
SESSA: We interviewed the people that accompanied Michael Warren
to the racetrack, and all their stories were consistent.
So, we ruled Michael out as the shooter.
He couldn't have been the shooter.
He didn't have the time or opportunity to do it,
but there was still the possibility
that he could be involved.
SIEVERS: Investigators receive a tip
from an employee at the Winn-Dixie grocery store
about a white Chrysler LeBaron
left in the parking lot for numerous days.
Could this be the vehicle that the witnesses saw
leaving the crime?
The investigative team runs the VIN, the tag,
and comes back as a stolen vehicle
from a rental place called Payless.
The white Chrysler LeBaron was then
impounded by law enforcement.
They photographed the vehicle and processed for prints.
SESSA: We took the car back to our garage.
My crime lab said, "Let's try to superglue it."
So, they got superglue, put it on a plate,
seal up the garage, and let the fumes do its work.
The fumes from the superglue would come up
and would attach itself to any perspiration
or fingerprints that would be available.
We didn't develop any prints or anything.
But while we were going through the car,
they recovered some orange fibers.
There were synthetic fibers consistent with a wig.
During the search, we recovered a Publix grocery store bag.
Finally, we discovered hair in the LeBaron.
SIEVERS: The hair fibers found
on the front passenger seat of the vehicle
resembled that of human hair,
and those were collected by investigators
in hopes that once a suspect was identified,
hair standards from them could then be
microscopically compared to the hairs found within the vehicle.
SESSA: With the retrieval of the car and the fibers
that were found in the car,
we-we knew we were on the right direction.
Now we got to tie the car to somebody.
HURTADO: What the investigative team did
after realizing that the vehicle was stolen
is going back and say, okay, where was it stolen from?
They find out that a rental company by the name of Payless
had submitted a report of a stolen vehicle.
SESSA: We had a couple that rented a car at Payless car rental
and were getting ready to turn the car back in
because they had to fly out of the airport.
And they looked in the Yellow Pages,
and they found Bargain Motors, Payless.
So they called, and a guy by the name Donald Carter
answered the phone, and they told him,
we have this car that we need to turn in.
Where can we bring it?
Donald told them to drop the car off
at Bargain Motors on Dixie Highway, and they did.
So, now our focus was Donald Carter.
They learned that Don was Mike Warren's cousin
who worked at Bargain Motors.
An anonymous call comes in.
The caller provides law enforcement
with information that Don Carter
had taken out a substantial amount of money
in Bargain Motors' name.
Don Carter got, uh, involved
in some gambling debts,
and Michael bailed him out.
SIEVERS: He owed Mike Warren a substantial amount of money.
Now, you think about what was the repayment for that money?
HURTADO: Donald Carter did anything and everything for Michael.
The question then would be, would he be willing to also
kill for Michael Warren?
SIEVERS: Another theory was that Mike Warren hired
Don Carter to shoot his wife in order to
pay off his gambling debt.
Don takes the stolen LeBaron, bought
the basket of flowers as well as the balloons.
He arrives to their home dressed as a clown,
and shoots Marlene at point-blank range.
After learning that Don Carter
owed Michael Warren money,
investigators bring in Don for questioning.
Upon being interviewed by law enforcement,
Don Carter doesn't offer law enforcement much.
Don tells investigators that he was the one that stole
the white LaBaron from Payless Auto.
However, he tells investigators that during the time
of the shooting, he was at work at Bargain Motors.
This was verified by investigators,
by employees at Bargain Motors.
And with an airtight alibi,
he was excluded as a suspect.
With no other investigative leads,
investigators start to canvass
local flower shops and costume shops
in hopes for some information
leading to the person that would have
purchased the flowers and balloons and the clown costume.
I sent a team of detectives out to visit florists.
And we learned that there was a Publix supermarket
that sold that particular type
of balloon and that arrangement of flowers.
SIEVERS: Upon interviewing employees, they learned
that an individual did come in
the morning of May 26
and purchased a basket of red and white carnations.
Along with two balloons.
This person paid in cash with a hundred-dollar bill.
And as far as the physical description,
they said the individual was wearing a pair of white gloves.
Tall, long brown hair,
and they described this person
as being a female.
All this time, investigators have been searching for a man.
And now they must shift their focus to a female suspect.
What woman would have a motive to kill Marlene Warren?
* *
SIEVERS: This case really speaks volumes
to the role of forensics
and crime scene investigation,
because just because there's not the abilities
for certain pieces of evidence to be tested at that time
doesn't mean that technology won't eventually catch up.
In the years since this case had gone cold,
there have been significant advancements
in the field of DNA processing and technologies.
When people typically think of DNA analysis,
they are referring to nuclear DNA testing.
But in the advancements over the years,
scientists are now able to analyze mitochondrial DNA,
which comes from your maternal lineage.
It provides investigators with the ability
to establish DNA profiles on significantly degraded
samples of DNA
or on old and cold cases.
This is huge.
Thanks to mitochondrial DNA testing,
investigators were able to positively identify
the contributor of the hair fibers
found within the Chrysler LeBaron.
McROBERTS: The important conclusion
of the examination of the hair
from the Chrysler LeBaron using that new technology
was that Sheila Keen was the source of the hair
in the Chrysler LeBaron that was used
to kill Marlene Warren.
That puts her inside of the vehicle,
without a doubt.
That is hard evidence.
You cannot eliminate her as the actual person
who killed Marlene Warren.
* *
ANDERSON: We were able to get a warrant charging
Sheila Keen with first-degree murder,
with a firearm in the murder of Marlene Warren
27 years later.
* *
HURTADO: Now they needed to look
into Sheila's whereabouts.
McROBERTS: Michael Warren and Sheila Keen were located,
and it was discovered that
they had married each other in 2002,
were living in Virginia.
And Sheila Keen was, in fact, going by a different name.
Sheila Keen was going by the name Debbie.
And we researched that,
and it was determined that it wasn't a name
that she'd ever been called,
and it was not a nickname
that anybody had ever called her by.
So that was unusual.
SIEVERS: In all this time, she had been living
under the name Debbie
in an attempt to avoid any type of detection
or suspicion by law enforcement.
HURTADO: Now, with all of the information that the investigators provided,
they had enough probable cause to go and arrest Sheila Keen.
So, investigators fly to Virginia.
Our office was there in person.
They had set up
a surveillance of Michael Warren and Sheila Keen.
ANDERSON: The house that Mike
and Sheila lived in
was a beautiful two-story brick house
overlooking a lake.
By my appearances, anyway,
they seemed to be living a very nice life.
McROBERTS: Sheila Keen and Michael Warren
were stopped in a car,
and at that time, Sheila Keen was placed under arrest
for the murder of Marlene Warren.
ANDERSON: I was there when the arrest occurred.
She certainly wasn't upset. She wasn't in tears.
She didn't seem emotional at all.
McROBERTS: My information is that after Sheila
was transported to
the law enforcement office there in Virginia,
she declined to make any statement.
SIEVERS: Upon being arrested
and charged with first-degree murder
for the killing of Marlene Warren,
Sheila Keen initially pleads not guilty.
Investigators are releasing new details
about a killer clown.
REPORTER: Tonight, we're getting our first look
at the suspected killer clown, Sheila Keen Warren,
in the moments after her arrest.
The potential penalty in this case is
life in prison and potentially the death penalty.
REPORTER 2: The killer clown trial
now set to play out in court in June 2020.
Now investigators have a preliminary scene
of what happened the day of the murder.
* *
Sheila Keen drives to the Publix,
purchases the balloons and the basket of flowers.
She concealed her identity
in a clown costume with clown makeup,
drives to Marlene Warren's home.
She knocks on the door. (knocking)
Marlene opens the door.
(gunshot) She shoots Marlene,
and then she proceeds to walk back to the vehicle,
drives away, and drops the vehicle off
at the Winn-Dixie.
In the spring of 2023,
just before the trial of Sheila Keen was set to start,
Sheila ended up pleading guilty
to second-degree murder in a plea deal
in order to be given 12 years.
ATTORNEY: State of Florida v. Sheila Keen-Warren.
The defendant herein will agree to withdraw
her previously entered plea of not guilty
and her plea of guilty to the following charges:
Guilty of second-degree murder,
that on or about May the 26th of 1990,
the defendant was responsible for the death of Marlene Warren.
After almost 30 years
of trying to put this case together,
problems develop,
witnesses pass away, people get sick
due to illnesses or whatever, and it was gonna be hard
to place this thing together.
The case that we thought was airtight
was diminishing by the death of several
of the lead investigators with the sheriff's office.
SIEVERS: Prosecutors felt safer by offering
the plea deal to be able to at least get a guilty verdict.
My name is Joseph Ahrens.
And would you like to address the court at this time?
The only thing I want to say is,
all through this trial, I didn't see any remorse.
Are you in agreement with the terms?
Yes, I am. Thank you, sir.
If you have anything else that you wanted to say,
this is your opportunity if you'd like, sir.
God be with her.
McROBERTS: The family,
and really everybody associated with the case,
were very grateful and expressed that gratitude
that they hadn't been forgotten.
SIEVERS: At the time of Sheila Keen's arrest,
investigators are still not able to...
rule out the possibility that Mike Warren didn't have
something to do with Marlene Warren's murder.
McROBERTS: As far as Michael Warren is concerned,
there are no statute of limitations
for first-degree murder.
I think he better keep looking over his shoulders.
The case stays with me because of the longevity of it.
The years that went by,
all the man hours and woman hours
that were put into this case.
(Daniel Saint Black's "Broken Man" playing)
I hope that her son Joe and...
her sister have peace in their heart.
* Father was a preacher *
* They taught him what to say to wear you down... *
AHRENS: Forgiveness was the hardest thing I had to do
through this whole thing.
My mother's murder changed my life forever.
For the worst, I... * Oh... *
...had to live in hell, literally hell.
And through that, I found heaven.
I found myself.
* To live out with the sinners *
* Or die on holy ground *
AHRENS: They did a good job
with what they had.
And in the time period and frame and everything.
I mean,
that's good enough.
She could rest in peace.
* *
* Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh *
* I'm a broken man, I'm a broken man *
* Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh *
* I'm a broken man, I'm a broken man *
* I'm a broken man. *
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Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org