The Real CSI Miami Episode 10: A Detailed Case Overview

Season one episode 10 of The Real CSI: Miami, will delve deep into the murder of Marlene Warren at her Florida home in 1990. Her killing was done in an eerie style as the killer came disguised as a clown, shot Marlene, and walked away as if nothing had happened.

To date, the motive behind this murder has been a mystery. The Real CSI: Miami's season one episode 10, will center on this vicious murder, which stumped the Florida detectives for decades before they solved it. This episode will air on CBS on September 4 at 9 p.m. EST. The official synopsis for the same reads as follows:

"A mysterious clown shoots Marlene Warren to death at her front door, in front of her young son; nearly three decades later, advancements in DNA technology and forensic analysis revive the case."

To know more about the upcoming The Real CSI: Miami case, follow along.

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The Real CSI Miami season one episode 10 case analysis

Background

The upcoming The Real CSI: Miami episode will be about the killer clown mystery as mentioned before. It will throw light on the murder of Marlene Warren, who was killed in broad daylight, in front of her son and his friends. This case took decades to solve and the alleged killer was finally arrested in 2017. Follow along to know everything related to this case.

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About the crime

Reportedly, Marlene Warren was killed on May 26, 1990, in her Florida home. While she was having breakfast with her son Joe and his friends, a clown came carrying balloons, and flowers. Joe thought it was a gift for his recovery as he had injured his leg recently. However, when Marlene went to open the door, she got shot several times by the clown killer.

Joe saw his mother gravely injured and called 911. He also tried to chase the killer but failed. After staying in the hospital for nearly two days, Marlene passed away.

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Investigation

Watch season one, episode 10 of The Real CSI: Miami to know more about the Killer Clown (Image by Robert Zunikoff/Unsplash)

Reportedly, upon investigation, it was revealed that the person who shot Marlene Warren was approximately 6 feet tall, had orange hair, and was skinny with a red nose, and a big orange smile. The killer arrived in a white car. Out of the two balloons that the killer was carrying, one had the picture of Snow White, and the other one had 'You’re the Greatest' printed on it.

The detectives also learned that after the clown shot Marlene, he walked slowly toward his car, a Chrysler LeBaron, and then left the scene. The victim's husband Mike Warren was the first suspect however he had a strong alibi, which had him cleared.

Reportedly, in the later stages of the investigation, when Mike’s business was investigated, he was charged with racketeering, insurance fraud, and even odometer tampering for which he had to go to prison. However, there was no evidence of him killing his wife. However, Marlene’s son and mother were told by Marlene before her death that,

"If anything happens to me, Mike did it."

The detectives learned that the victim's husband was having an affair with a woman named Sheila Keen. The investigators also learned that a woman whom the shopkeeper had identified to be Miss Keen had bought the clown costume from her store late at night, two days before the tragedy. The Chrysler LeBaron which was speculated to be the killer clown’s car was also recovered, from which synthetic orange fibers and brown hair were found.

Upon getting a search warrant, when the detectives finally checked Sheila Keen’s house, the same orange fiber was found alongside brown hair, which matched the one found in the car. However, in the 90’s, DNA testing was still unreliable, and therefore Keen evaded arrest.

The murder weapon and the killer’s costume were never recovered.

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Resolution

Although there was enough evidence to bring in Keen, the detectives had to wait longer to find something that would link her to the case directly. Joe had described the attacker to be a 6-foot man, which would mean that Sheila wasn’t the killer, which contradicted the detective's theory. The detectives learned that Mike was the only one with a motive to kill his wife however he had a strong alibi as we already know, which had him cleared.

As revealed previously in 48 hours on ID, after the murder of Marlene Warren, his son Joe became an addict, unable to cope with the massive trauma he endured. It was also learned that Marlene had a liking for clowns. Marlene's mother Shirley who has a room filled with clown portraits told 48 hours that,

"I don't hate clowns, I just hate one."

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Aftermath

Finally, in 2017, justice was served to Marlene Warren as the new DNA tech proved that Sheila Keen’s hair samples matched the ones found in the clown's getaway car.

By 2017, Keen was already married to Mike Warren post Marlene’s death, had also changed her name to Debbie, and dyed her hair blonde. However, the detectives arrested her and charged her with first-degree murder on September 26, 2017. In 2023, she reached a plea deal and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

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Final thoughts

Sheila Keen who pleaded guilty will be out of prison in 2025. However, the question is did she commit the crime and then admit to it or did she admit it so that she could reach a plea deal which would be a get-out-of-jail card for her? Perhaps we will never know now for a case like this which took years to solve, evidence that was tampered with, and many witnesses who disappeared or died natural deaths over the years.

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To know more about this case, watch the latest episode of The Real CSI: Miami.