WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A woman accused of dressing up as a clown and killing her future husband's wife more than three decades ago has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, just weeks before her trial was set to begin.
Sheila Keen-Warren, who is accused of killing her lover's wife while disguised as a clown in 1990, withdrew her plea of not guilty and changed her plea to guilty Tuesday as part of a deal with prosecutors. Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer accepted the plea.
The 59-year-old woman had faced a first-degree murder charge in connection with the May 26, 1990, death of Marlene Warren at her Wellington home.
In exchange for pleading guilty, Keen-Warren will be sentenced to 12 years in prison. She'll receive 2,039 days of credit for time already served in jail.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Detective Paige McCann said during a September 2017 news conference that Sheila Keen, as she was known at the time, was dressed like a clown when she fatally shot Warren.
"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."
"It was at that time that the clown pulled out a gun and shot Marlene in the face," McCann said.
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 had long been considered a suspect in the shooting, but it took investigators 27 years to make an arrest. She eventually married Michael Warren in 2002 and moved to Tennessee, where the couple operated a restaurant.
She was arrested in Virginia in 2017 and has been in a Palm Beach County jail cell ever since.
The about-face plea comes as somewhat of a surprise after lead defense attorney Greg Rosenfeld told WPTV last year that Keen-Warren was innocent and ready for her day in court.
"We have no question that Ms. Keen-Warren did not commit this crime," Rosenfeld told WPTV in June 2022.
FROM THE VAULT: Defense attorney says client 'ready for her day in court'
After Tuesday's hearing, however, Rosenfeld explained the change of plea.
"When she was arrested, the state of Florida wanted to execute her," Rosenfeld said. "This was a death penalty case for 18 months. They wanted to murder our client, and now she's going home in 10 months. To say, you know, this is a win would be an understatement for Ms. Keen-Warren."
WATCH: Defense attorney calls client's change of plea 'a win'
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg told WPTV that the state has "obtained a measure of justice with the conviction and sentencing of (Warren's) killer."
Aronberg said Keen-Warren "has finally been forced to admit that she was the one who dressed as a clown and took the life of an innocent victim. She will be a convicted murderer for the rest of her days."
"The decision to negotiate a guilty plea was made after considering the age of the 33-year-old case, particularly the death of key witnesses," Aronberg continued. "For example, the death of the lead crime scene investigator broke the chain of custody for critical evidence that could no longer be authenticated."
Aronberg also refuted Rosenfeld's claim that Keen-Warren would be released in 10 months, saying she'll spend closer to two years in the Florida Department of Corrections.
"This case remained uncharged for 27 years until the herculean efforts of law enforcement and prosecutors to hold this defendant accountable," Aronberg said.
Despite the guilty plea, Rosenfeld remained adamant that his client is innocent.
WATCH: Defense attorney says client 'did not commit this crime'
"It was an incredibly hard decision for our client, saying you did something that you didn't do," Rosenfeld said. "I mean, nothing's harder than that. But, you know, we stand by Ms. Keen-Warren. We know she did not commit this crime."
Defense attorneys had filed several motions seeking to exonerate their client, including asking Suskauer to sanction prosecutors for their "willful" disregard of the law as it relates to the discovery of the so-called "clown sighting file" – a 25-page file of clown sightings complied by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigators initially assigned to the case.
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Rosenfeld argued in court earlier this year that his client would like to get out of jail to visit her 83-year-old mother, whom she hasn't seen in five years.
The start of the trial had been delayed numerous times through the years, frustrating the victim's son, Joe Ahrens.
Ahrens, who spoke to WPTV's Meghan McRoberts last June, recalled being at home eating breakfast with his mother when she was murdered.
FROM THE VAULT: Son of Wellington's 1990 killer clown victim speaks to WPTV
He was at his home in Stuart during Keen-Warren's hearing Tuesday but spoke via Zoom.
"I didn't see any remorse, and that's all I have to say," Ahrens said.
WATCH: 'God be with her,' son of killer clown's victim says
Then, he offered his parting words for Keen-Warren before she was sentenced.
"God be with her," he said.
