Clown

On an early Saturday morning in 1990, Marlene Warren answered her front door in Palm Beach, Florida to what seemed like a friendly face — unless you've recently seen the movie "It."

A clown wearing a red wig, red bulb nose, gloves and a smile painted on its white face stood outside holding a bouquet and two balloons. Before Marlene could accept the creepy gifts, she was shot in the face.

The killer clown calmly walked to a white convertible with no license plate and drove away.

Marlene died two days later.

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After 27 years of not being able to solve her murder, police finally arrested Sheila Keen Warren.

Sun Sentinel

DNA evidence led police to arrest the 54-year-old woman at her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. And here's the real kicker: she's now married to Marlene's husband, Michael Warren.

When the investigation began, police focused on Sheila because they learned she and Michael were having an affair.

She repossessed cars for his auto dealership, and when Shelia separated from her husband five months before the murder, Michael started paying her rent.

Employees of a local costume shop called detectives on the night of the murder and said a woman had bought a clown costume and makeup two days prior. They picked Sheila out of a lineup.

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Clerks at a nearby Publix also said she was the woman who bought flowers and balloons about 90 minutes before Marlene was shot.

Police also learned that Shelia would regularly dress up as a clown and visit an auto parts store.

After searching her home, police found fibers from an orange wig that matched fibers from the getaway car that was ditched in a grocery store parking lot. It was later reported stolen from a rental agency and was linked to Michael's dealership.

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But they didn't have enough probable cause to arrest and for 27 years the case went cold.

Sheila is currently awaiting trial. It's unclear if Michael played any part in the crime.

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Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 10:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTango’s Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).

Keywords: crime

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