Police discovery of 'clown sighting' file puts woman's trial on hold

A woman who stands accused of killing her lover’s wife while dressed as a clown has had her trial postponed because, as it turns out, she wasn’t the only one walking around in clown attire at the time.

A 25-page ‘clown sighting’ file has been put to the Florida judge overseeing alleged killer Sheila Keen-Warren’s trial, stalling the proceedings.

The creepy file was compiled by the case’s original investigators after the victim - Marlene Warren - was shot in the face in 1990 by someone wearing face paint, a red nose and an orange wig. 

WNCN-TV

According to The Independent, Keen-Warren’s defence lawyers say the file contains ‘40 credible leads’ alongside names, addresses and phone numbers.

Defence attorneys said in a court filing: “Despite alleging that it did its due diligence in searching for this file, the State admitted that the ‘clown sighting file’ was located in a box in its office.”

Defence attorneys added: “Needless to say this will take the defence considerable time and resources to investigate.”

The judge granted the defendant’s lawyers additional time to track down the potential leads in the ‘clown file’.

Marlene Warren was killed after being handed flowers and balloons by someone dressed as a clown when she answered the front door of her Florida home more than 30 years ago.

WNCN-TV

In 2017, Keen-Warren was arrested in Abingdon, Virginia, and charged with the murder. Prosecutors say Keen-Warren’s arrest was made possible thanks to advances in DNA technology.

At the time of the killing, Keen-Warren was employed by the victim’s husband and later married him.

Keen-Warren, who is being held in a Palm County jail, has pleaded not guilty to the killing. 

Back in May, the judge reluctantly announced the trial would be postponed for the sixth time because defence attorneys claimed they were struggling to locate witnesses.

Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer said at the time: “Think about the impact it has on me. I have a duty to the public. You also have a victim's family that has waited a long time for justice."

Reid Scott, the Assistant State Attorney, agreed the delay was unavoidable, saying: “I want this defendant to be fully prepared for trial. I don't want to deal with appellate issues."

Richard Lubin, a member of Keen-Warren’s defence team, told the Palm Beach Post at the time: "This is a very difficult situation.

“This is a long-ago event. Witnesses are in their 60s, 70s and 80s. Some of them are dead. Others are debilitated."

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