When it comes to the murder of Marlene Mae McKinnon Warren in May 1990, there is only one thing that can be said with perfect certainty: it was dreadfully bizarre, obscene, and unnecessary. After all, Sheila Keen-Warren, dressed as a clown, shot the 40-year-old woman in the face at the door of her home, as meticulously detailed in ABC’s “20/20: The Case of the Killer Clown.” But for now, if you’d just like to know more about one of the key witnesses in this case—Joseph “Joe” Ahrens, the victim’s own devoted son—we’ve got the pertinent information for you.
Who is Joseph “Joe” Ahrens?
According to reports, a young Marlene married John Ahrens in the 1960s, and the couple soon welcomed two gorgeous children, John Ahrens Jr. and Joseph Ahrens, into their family. But by the time she turned 20, the marriage had permanently broken up. She was unaware that this would eventually bring her to Michael Warren and a mixed family in Florida that was content, comfortable, and stable. It should therefore come as no surprise that she was very close to both of her sons. This closeness, however, really intensified with Joseph after her oldest unfortunately died in a vehicle accident in 1988 at the age of 22.
Joseph’s mother was not only an angel because of the way she raised him to be a good, helpful person and lived her life in that way, but she was also his closest friend in every aspect. The events of May 26, 1990, are thereby imprinted in his memory for a variety of reasons. For one, the 21-year-old was still living at home at the time, yet he was unable to intervene during his mother’s passing. He had friends around that fatal morning, according to his police testimonies, and they were all eating breakfast in the living room when the front doorbell abruptly rang.