FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A woman who had admitted to committing a bizarre crime in which she dressed as a clown and fatally shot the spouse of the man she later married has been released from prison, bringing closure to a case that has captured considerable attention. Sheila Keen-Warren, now 61 years old, completed her sentence for second-degree murder in the death of Marlene Warren, a crime that took place in 1990. She entered her guilty plea 18 months ago, just as her trial was about to commence, as recorded by the Florida Department of Corrections.

Despite pleading guilty, Keen-Warren has consistently claimed her innocence. She was sentenced to a total of 12 years but had already served seven years in custody following her arrest in 2017. Due to Florida’s legal framework from 1990, she was eligible for significant good behavior credits. Observers had anticipated her release within two years of her plea.

Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg expressed in a statement on Saturday that “Sheila Keen-Warren will always be an admitted convicted murderer and will wear that stain for every day for the rest of her life.” Her attorney, Greg Rosenfeld, indicated that the plea deal was primarily motivated by the possibility of a much shorter sentence as opposed to the life imprisonment she faced had she gone to trial.

Following her release, Rosenfeld expressed immense relief, noting in a text message that they were thrilled to have Keen-Warren back with her family. He reiterated their standpoint that she did not commit the crime.

Marlene Warren’s son, Joseph Ahrens, along with his friends, recounted an eerie incident during which someone disguised as a clown rang their doorbell. When Marlene Warren opened the door, the clown offered her balloons, but the situation quickly turned tragic, as the clown then shot her in the face and fled the scene.

Investigators from Palm Beach County had long considered Keen-Warren a suspect in the murder, but it wasn’t until 27 years later that they arrested her. Authorities claimed advancements in DNA testing linked her to the evidence obtained from the car used to escape. However, Rosenfeld has characterized this evidence as tenuous at best.

At the time of the incident, Keen-Warren worked for Marlene Warren’s husband, Michael, at his used car dealership. The two later married in 2002 and relocated to Abington, Virginia, where they operated a restaurant. While both Sheila and Michael denied conducting an affair during the investigation, witnesses had suggested otherwise.

Further investigation revealed ties to a costume shop where Keen-Warren allegedly purchased a clown suit shortly before the homicide. Moreover, one of the balloons found at the scene had been uniquely sold at a grocery store nearby Keen-Warren’s residence, where employees identified a woman resembling her purchasing them shortly before the attack.

The vehicle that was purportedly the getaway car was discovered abandoned and contained orange fibers resembling hair. This white Chrysler convertible was reported stolen from Michael Warren’s dealership roughly a month before the murder, linking Keen-Warren and her then-spouse to the vehicle as they repossessed cars for him.

Relatives of Marlene Warren disclosed in 2000 that she suspected her husband was unfaithful and had expressed a desire to leave him. However, since many of their assets were in her name, she worried about the implications of such a decision. It was reported that she told her mother, “If anything happens to me, Mike done it,” yet Michael Warren has never faced charges and maintains his innocence.

Rosenfeld noted last year that the foundation of the prosecution’s case appeared to be crumbling, citing issues like a DNA sample showing both male and female genetic markers, and that another sample had a potential connection to one out of every twenty women. He also posited that even if certain evidence, such as hair, did belong to Keen-Warren, it might have been present prior to the car being reported stolen.

State Attorney Aronberg acknowledged last year that there were gaps in the prosecution’s case, a consequence of the lengthy three-decade delay in bringing it to trial, exacerbated by the passing of vital witnesses. Meanwhile, in 1994, Michael Warren was prosecuted on charges of grand theft and racketeering, serving almost four years in prison, a length some attorneys deemed excessively harsh due to prevailing suspicions around his involvement in his wife’s murder.

Michael Warren did not respond to attempts to reach him for comment on Saturday.