The Real CSI: Miami looks into a chilling cold case from 1990, when a mysterious clown shot and killed Marlene Warren at her home in Palm Beach, Florida. The upcoming CBS episode, titled “Killer Clown,” explores the haunting murder that shocked the nation and the advancements in DNA technology and forensic analysis that led to a breakthrough in the previously cold case.
On May 26, 1990, Marlene Warren, a 40-year-old mother, was shot at point-blank range outside her house in Wellington, Florida. The assailant, dressed as a clown, with a mask, flowers, and balloons in hand, arrived at her doorstep. As Warren was cooking breakfast, she was shot in the face, with her young son, Joey, witnessing the horrific scene. Marlene Warren died from her injuries two days later at Loxahatchee Hospital.
The investigation into the bizarre murder initially focused on Marlene’s husband, Michael, due to their marital issues. However, the case eventually went cold, leaving unanswered questions and a grieving family. Years later, in 2017, the case took a new turn when Sheila Keen-Warren, then 55, was arrested for the murder.
New DNA evidence implicated Keen-Warren, who is alleged to have been having an affair with Marlene’s husband at the time of the killing.
The investigation also revealed that Keen-Warren lived near the only costume shop in Palm Beach County that sold the same balloons held by the “killer clown.”
The Real CSI: Miami: Killer Clown airs Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. on CBS.
