Florida ‘Killer Clown’ case: Man copped to 1990 murder decades before Sheila Keen-Warren arrest, defense says

Attorneys representing accused Florida "Killer Clown" Sheila Keen-Warren are asking a judge to let them to see specifications astir an inmate who allegedly bragged astir carrying retired nan 1990 execution for which their customer has been charged, records show.

A Maine inmate named Edward Bahr boasted to a cellblock neighbour decades agone "that he murdered a female successful Wellington, Florida," a defense tribunal filing states. He allegedly made akin statements to corrections staff, and while besides incarcerated successful Connecticut.

When confronted by constabulary astir his alleged claims, Bahr told nan detective "’he would show him everything he knows" concerning nan decease of Marlene Warren if [the detective] "could committedness him he would not get nan electrical chair,’" nan mobility states. But erstwhile nan detective "told Bahr that he could not committedness him that, Bahr requested to speak to an lawyer earlier answering immoderate much questions."

The latest mobility comes arsenic a judge is already mulling respective different requests from nan defense squad – including that he disregard nan lawsuit altogether because lawyers reason nan prosecution dragged their feet excessively overmuch connected bringing charges. 

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Sheila Keen-Warren was accused of dressing up arsenic a comedian and murdering her early husband's then-wife 27 years ago. (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office)

Police arrested Sheila Keen-Warren on Sept. 26, 2017, 27 years aft Marlene Warren’s death.

Investigators learned Keen-Warren, who was joined to personification other astatine nan clip of nan murder, went connected to wed Marlene Warren’s hubby successful 2002. The brace had been living in Tennessee, where they operated a restaurant, constabulary said.

Defense attorneys person based on that prosecutors fishy Warren’s hubby was progressive successful nan execution scheme, though he has ne'er been charged successful relationship pinch nan crime. 

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Marlene Warren, 40, was shot and killed at her Wellington, Florida, location Saturday, May 26, 1990, officials said. Warren had conscionable vanished meal pinch her boy and his friends astir 10:45 a.m., when they spotted a Chrysler LeBaron rotation into nan driveway, nan Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said. 

A personification dressed for illustration a comedian exited nan conveyance and walked to nan home’s beforehand door, constabulary said. 

"The personification dressed arsenic nan comedian was carrying a flower statement and 2 balloons," nan sheriff’s agency explained. One balloon reportedly bore a image of Snow White, nan different was emblazoned pinch nan words, "You're nan Greatest!" 

Paramedics return Marlene Warren to an ambulance connected May 26, 1990, aft she was changeable successful beforehand of her location successful Wellington, Florida. (Mark Randall/Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

"Marlene answered nan beforehand doorway and arsenic nan comedian offered nan items to her, witnesses heard a gunshot and Marlene fell to nan ground," police said. "The person dressed arsenic a comedian calmly walked backmost to nan LeBaron and drove away." 

Warren suffered a gunshot coiled to nan look and was rushed to a section hospital, wherever she died 2 days later.

Over a twelvemonth later, successful August 1991, a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detective received a telephone from authorities successful Maine, who said a captive – later identified arsenic Bahr – had confessed to nan killing, nan defense filing states.

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According to nan document, Bahr gave a chap inmate astatine Maine State Prison meticulous specifications related to nan murders, specified arsenic that "he dressed up arsenic a comedian and changeable nan woman, that her hubby owned a utilized car batch named Bargain Motors, that a young antheral had travel retired of 1 of nan rooms correct aft nan shooting." Both inmates were being housed successful solitary confinement astatine nan time. 

He besides allegedly told nan inmate "that a ‘female biker type’ sewage nan comedian costume from nan Stoplight costume shot," and that "he was hired by nan hubby of nan execution unfortunate during a gathering astatine nan Mermaid Bar."

Marlene Warren, who was changeable and killed successful nan entryway of her Wellington, Florida, location successful nan infamous "Killer Clown" lawsuit of 1990. (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office)

The inmate later sat for a recorded, sworn interview, successful which he described really Bahr said nan Warren execution was "the ‘biggest thing’ he had ever done," nan filing states. 

"[H]e stated that successful wide daylight he dressed up arsenic a clown, past he went up to this residence wherever this female was surviving and had knocked connected nan doorway and said delivery, and she opened nan door, he pointed a weapon to her look and said, ha-ha, and changeable her successful nan face," nan inmate told police, according to a transcript of nan recorded interview. 

Bahr allegedly told nan inmate, "this feline had offered him a important magnitude of money to termination his wife," nan mobility states. 

The transcript continues: "He said he wanted – he wanted his woman dormant because… she was divorcing him (Inaudible) and she was to return complete nan car dealership." 

Attorneys described really he was "known to brag astir committing a execution successful nan Ft. Lauderdale aliases Metro Dade area."

Bahr was not successful jailhouse astatine nan clip of Warren’s killing. 

When re-interviewed during a deposition successful September 2022, Bahr "denied telling [the inmate] that he murdered Marlene Warren," nan filing states. He told investigators he did talk astir nan "clown homicide," but only based connected specifications he had seen reported connected TV news.

But location was 1 glaring discrepancy: "There was, however, nary TV successful solitary."

Sheila Keen-Warren appears successful tribunal for a pre-trial hearing, Nov. 13, 2017. Keen-Warren faces charges successful nan decease of Marlene Warren successful 1990. (Lannis Waters/Palm Beach Post/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Keen-Warren’s defense squad is asking Circuit Judge Scott Siskauer to record an bid allowing nan squad to usage Bahr’s "out-of-court statements" and different grounds of "third-party culpability" astatine proceedings because they represent exculpatory grounds that is "necessary" for her defense. 

Warren was charged with first-degree murder in 2017. Her long-awaited trial is slated to statesman pinch assemblage action successful May. 

Just past week, some sides called for nan removal of grounds from 1 of nan detectives who handled nan investigation decades ago. The agreed bid states that Detective William Williams, who has since retired from nan Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, should not beryllium called arsenic a witnesser "because he is incapable to observe, retrieve and recount nan facts astir which nan witnesser would testify."

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Siskauer has signed nan bid to exclude Williams’ testimony. 

But Siskauer has yet to norm connected respective different motions regarding various elements related to nan circumstances of nan killing. He is expected to rumor orders aft holding hearings complete nan people of 2 days successful early March.

Photo shows receipt from May 24, 1990, acquisition astatine Spotlight Capezio successful West Palm Beach, Florida. (Motion to Suppress exhibit, Nov. 1, 2022)

Specifically, defense attorneys person asked nan jurist to prohibit prosecutors from making immoderate mention of grounds aliases witnesses that allegedly show Keen-Warren purchasing a comedian costume 2 days earlier nan murder.

Evidence that Keen-Warren was nan personification who purchased nan comedian costume from West Palm Beach’s Spotlight Capezio connected May 24, 1990, is "irrelevant and unreliable," and would "deprive" her of "her authorities to a adjacent proceedings and owed process," her attorneys based on successful a mobility revenge successful November. Store labor said nan personification bought an orangish wig, a "yellow and basking pink" comedian suit and a constitution kit, but nary mask, 2 days earlier Marlene Warren’s wide daylight execution. 

However, defense attorneys based on that witnesses had different descriptions of the comedian costume from nan 1 that was purchased astatine Spotlight. 

"[T]hat comedian suit is not nan 1 described by eyewitnesses to Marlene Warren’s murder," they wrote successful nan motion.

One witnesser "said nan comedian was wearing a grey jumpsuit, for illustration a mechanic’s uniform," and wore a wig akin to "Bozo nan Clown," nan mobility states.

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Another witnesser said nan comedian "was wearing a achromatic comedian suit pinch reddish hearts aliases diamonds," while a 3rd described nan costume arsenic having "blue dots connected it," nan attorneys wrote. Both witnesses told constabulary nan wig was red, nan mobility states.

Photo shows items purchased connected May 24, 1990, astatine Spotlight Capezio successful West Palm Beach, Florida. (Motion to Suppress exhibit, Nov. 1, 2022)

Defense attorneys person besides revenge a mobility seeking to exclude specifications related to a achromatic Chrysler LeBaron convertible that was recovered successful a Winn-Dixie parking batch aft it had been reported stolen, and immoderate grounds that was recovered from wrong nan vehicle. 

They based on that nan conveyance "is not nan car driven by nan comedian who murdered Marlene Warren."

But prosecutors antecedently said that DNA recovered wrong nan getaway conveyance tied Keen-Warren to nan crime.

The defense is besides seeking to exclude immoderate mention connected a "six-to-eight-inch hairsbreadth aliases fiber" that was allegedly recovered connected a ribbon attached to 1 of nan balloons handed to Warren earlier she was shot. 

Just Wednesday, nan defense squad revenge a mobility asking Siskauer to disregard nan charges against Keen-Warren because prosecutors made "tactical decisions" successful dragging their feet and successful move prevented nan defense from being capable to build a case, nan archive states.

"This is not a ‘cold case’ in nan accepted sense: nan State simply picked up their investigation decades later and conducted caller tests connected immoderate of nan trace evidence."

Prosecutors deliberately chose to hold nan indictment of Keen-Warren for decades, and past charged her pinch nan execution of Marlene Warren successful 2017 contempt nan deficiency of caller evidence, nan defense squad argued.

As a result, defense attorneys were faced pinch untraceable aliases now-deceased witnesses, group who nary longer remembered what they did aliases saw, and moreover immoderate who had abruptly changed their accounts of events complete nan people of 30-plus years, lawyers wrote successful a mobility to disregard for pre-indictment delay.

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"More than 30 years after Marlene Warren’s murder, overmuch of nan grounds that Sheila Keen-Warren could person relied connected to found that personification other has confessed to nan murder, to impeach nan State’s witnesses, aliases coming an alibi defense is unavailable for various reasons," nan mobility states. 

It adds: "The rule permitted nan State to return their clip successful filing charges, but not to unit Sheila Keen-Warren to conflict her lawsuit blindfolded pinch 1 limb tied down her back."

Prosecutors person not responded to nan motions truthful far. Both sides are expected to make their respective arguments successful tribunal connected March 7 and 8.