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Washington Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Book Review: Quirky private eye tracks a couple more killers in Stephen King's 'Never Flinch'
Stephen King's favorite private investigator returns in 'Never Flinch,' the sixth novel by King featuring Holly Gibney, who readers first met in the Bill Hodges trilogy ('Mr. Mercedes,' 'Finders Keepers,' 'End of Watch') and who then helped solved the murders at the heart of 'The Outsider' and 'Holly.' In 'Never Flinch,' Holly cracks two more cases, one as the lead security escort for a polarizing author touring the nation to talk about women's reproductive freedom, and the other back home in Ohio, as a serial killer preys on jurors following a miscarriage of justice.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
True crime clown murder: Wellington woman shot to death by husband's girlfriend 35 years ago
Marlene Warren's killing in 1990 is part of a True Crime series by The Palm Beach Post. Victim: Marlene Warren, 40 Killer: Sheila Keen-Warren, age 27 at the time of the slaying Where: Wellington Date: May 26, 1990 'Oh, how sweet,' Marlene Warren said that Saturday morning in May 1990 when she saw a clown with flowers and balloons at the front door of her Wellington home. That was the last thing Warren, 40, said as she opened the door and was shot pointblank in the face by the clown, who was wearing an orange wig, red nose and a painted-on happy face. Her 21-year-old son, Joey Ahrens, ran to her as she collapsed in the doorway and looked the clown in the eye — deep brown eyes, he remembers. The killer sauntered away, climbed into a white Chrysler LeBaron that had no license plate and drove away. Marlene died two days later at Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee. The crime occurred 35 years ago on May 26. A three-part documentary on the case called "Killer Clown: Murder on the Doorstep" is set to air June 5 on SundanceTV, AMC+ and Sundance Now. Her husband, Michael, managed their car lot, Bargain Motors, on North Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. Marlene had taken care of the couple's rental properties, worth about $1 million at the time. They had been married 20 years. The Warrens lived in the exclusive community called Aero Club in Wellington where homes had an air strip nearby to land personal aircraft and hangars in the backyards. The woman who was to become Michael Warren's second wife, Sheila Keen-Warren, pleaded guilty to being the clown at the door, agreeing to a plea deal for second-degree murder in 2023. Because of sentencing laws in 1990 and the 5½ years she spent in the Palm Beach County jail because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was released in November 2024 after serving about 18 months in prison. Keen-Warren had been arrested in 2017 near her home in Virginia after investigators cited new evidence linking her to the crime. The balloons Sheila Keen brought came from the Publix at the corner of Community Drive and Military Trail in West Palm Beach, according to police. It was the only Publix that sold that brand of Mylar balloons — one of which was heart-shaped and read "You're the Greatest" and the other depicting Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The Publix was only a half mile from Sheila Keen's apartment. The flowers, left just outside the front door after the shooting, were red and white carnations arranged in a basket. Four days after the shooting, the LeBaron was found in a Winn-Dixie parking lot at Okeechobee and Royal Palm Beach boulevards. Neither the costume nor the gun was ever found. Keen-Warren was a suspect soon after the shooting. The 27-year-old was married at the time but was rumored to be having an affair with Michael Warren, who washer boss at Bargain Motors. Keen and her then-husband, Richard, were running a car repo business when Michael Warren hired them in 1990 — five months before Marlene was killed. Marlene Warren reportedly told family that if anything happened to her, it was her husband who did it. Michael Warren was on his way to Calder Race Track in Miami Gardens when the clown came to Marlene's door. A year before, Michael Warren was at the Palm Beach County courthouse, walking out of a courtroom with attorney Christopher Desantis when he asked the lawyer a question. If a husband were to kill his wife, what would happen to her estate? "My first impression was, 'Is this guy nuts?' because why would you ask that question with your wife there?" Desantis told police in 1991. "Then I took a look around, and his wife wasn't there." Desantis had been representing Marlene's son in a 1986 assault case and Marlene talked to Desantis frequently. Desantis said he always thought there were no problems in the Warrens' marriage. The attorney said he figured the question was a curiosity, like a law school question. In this case, Florida law was "peculiar," Desantis told Michael Warren. "What I said to him is. 'It really isn't an issue of whether a man kills his wife. The question is whether the man is convicted of murdering his wife because if he's convicted of murdering his wife, he wouldn't inherit, but if he were convicted of a lower charge, he would. "Not only that," Desantis went on, "but if he had a friend who did it and they couldn't tie him as an accessory to the friend, he'd get away scot-free." No suspect would be arrested until 27 years after the killing. But Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detectivesdidn't give up. They followed hundreds of tips, including a "clown coven" in Greenacres. Detectives in 2013 started running DNA tests on the original evidence. It would take three years to get the results. The tests found an identical match on orange hairs inside the LeBaron and those found in her apartment. They also found matches between her hair and hair found in the car. Michael and Shelia Keen-Warren had been married in 2002 and were living in southwest Virginia near the Tennessee line when she was arrested in 2017. They had just sold a restaurant they were running named the Purple Cow in Kingsport, Tenn. They had bought a house worth $600,000 in 2004. Michael Warren has never been arrested in connection with Marlene Warren's death. Attorney Desantis talked again to police around the time Keen-Warren was arrested in 2017. He remembered telling Michael Warren something else: A killer dressed as a clown would likely "get off" because witnesses couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman. Holly Baltz is the investigations and schools editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hbaltz@ Support local investigative journalism. Subscribe today This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida "killer clown" murder: Wellington woman killed 35 years ago
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Trading card featuring Menendez brothers after parents' murder becomes collector's item
A 1990 basketball card of former NBA star Mark Jackson, which was photo-bombed by Erik and Lyle Menendez, skyrocketed in value following the infamous brothers' 1996 conviction in their parents' Beverly Hills, California, double murder. The trading card featuring New York Knicks guard Mark Jackson, obtained by Fox News Digital, gained notoriety after eagle-eyed collectors noticed that the Menendez brothers were sitting in a pair of floor seats at the game. The discovery of their presence on the card sparked significant interest among collectors and true crime aficionados. Previously valued at mere cents, the card's price surged, with some listings reaching hundreds of dollars. However, eBay eventually removed listings that explicitly referenced the Menendez brothers, citing policies against items associated with violent crimes. According to a TMZ report, some collectors are sending the card to the brothers in prison so it can be autographed. Gov. Newsom Doing 'Political Calculus' Ahead Of Menendez Brothers Resentencing Decision Along with purchasing courtside seats for a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden during the 1989–1990 NBA season, the brothers lavishly spent their parents' fortune following the August 1989 murders of Kitty and José Menendez. Read On The Fox News App In the months following the brutal murder of their parents, Erik and Lyle Menendez began living an extravagant lifestyle that starkly contrasted with their earlier claims of grief and trauma. While the defense would later frame the spending as part of a psychological escape from years of alleged abuse, prosecutors alleged that the brothers' crimes had been due to their efforts to gain access to the family's fortune. Menendez Brothers Resentencing: Timeline Of Killers' Fight Over Freedom In Parents' Murders Lyle, the older brother, indulged in high-end purchases, including designer clothing and a Porsche. He also invested heavily in a Princeton, New Jersey, restaurant called Chuck's Spring Street Café. In their 1995 trial, jewelry sales representative Mary Ellen Mahar testified that the brothers had come to her store just four days after the killings and spent about $15,000 on three Rolex watches. Lyle rented upscale properties and lived in expensive hotels like the Beverly Hills Hotel. Erik, too, spent the family's money freely on luxury clothing, high-end accommodations and international trips. He also tried to become a professional tennis player following the 1989 slayings. He hired a private coach, took lessons and traveled internationally to train and compete. On March 8, 1990, when Lyle was arrested in connection with their parents' murders, Erik was competing in a tennis tournament in Israel. He later turned himself in. Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter Both brothers admitted to killing their parents in a gruesome 1989 shotgun massacre inside their Beverly Hills home. Since their resentencing last week, the brothers are now eligible for parole. The brothers are set to appear before the parole board via video on June 13, 2025, at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. The board will either recommend or veto the brothers' release. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has the final say over whether they should go article source: Trading card featuring Menendez brothers after parents' murder becomes collector's item
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Tech exec found 'pulverized' in luxury high-rise stairwell died from fall, medical examiner says
The Cook County Medical Examiner in Illinois has revealed the cause of death of a Chicago woman found dead in the stairwell of her husband's luxury, high-rise condo in October 2024, but her manner of death remains undetermined. Caitlin Tracey, 36, died of "multiple injuries, fall from height" on Oct. 27, 2024, the medical examiner ruled. No one has been charged in connection with her death, as FOX 32 Chicago first reported. Court documents filed last year state that "based on the condition of the remains, Decedent's body fell approximately 24 floors before landing at the bottom of a stairwell." Her "body was pulverized and her foot was severed from her body," attorneys for the family wrote. Tracey's husband, Adam Beckerink, 46, was arrested in March on a fugitive charge stemming from a warrant in Michigan, where the well-known tax attorney was wanted on charges of domestic violence, resisting and obstructing and larceny, according to Fox 32. Police Hunt For 'Male Companion' Seen Fleeing Slain College Student's Apartment While Beckerink is not charged in connection with Tracey's death, his March arrest has highlighted a tumultuous past. An attorney representing Beckerink did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital. Read On The Fox News App The domestic incident stemmed from two 911 calls made last year in New Buffalo, Michigan, where Tracey and Beckerink lived during and before their six-month marriage, reporting domestic abuse and theft, according to FOX 32. Husband Of Nurse, Mom Of Three Found Dead At Bottom Of Staircase Went For Beer After Finding Body: Police Following her death in October 2024, police held Beckerink for 48 hours but ultimately released him. A legal battle later ensued between Tracey's parents and her husband. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X Court records revealed that Tracey filed a petition for an order of protection against Beckerink in October 2023. The couple married on April 8, 2024 "in a private ceremony" that did not include their family members, court documents say. Judge Dumbfounded By Error At Site Of 'Suicide' Where Teacher Was Found Stabbed 20 Times Tracey's parents believe Beckerink "manipulated" Tracey "and purposefully isolated her from her family so that he could continue his campaign of abuse and terror unnoticed," attorneys wrote in court documents. Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter "Plaintiffs have alleged that their daughter's partner, who may or may not be her husband, subjected her to ongoing domestic abuse and ultimately took her life," court records state. "Plaintiffs seek to have her remains sent to them to have a funeral and burial." Friend Who Heard Murder Confession Thought Furniture Heiress Would End Up Dead In Love Triangle A judge ultimately sided with Tracey's parents, allowing them to receive her remains and give her a funeral. Beckerink in March waived his right to an extradition hearing to face charges in Michigan. It is unclear where that case stands as of Wednesday. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub Fox News Digital reached out to Chicago police asking if they have any persons of interest in Tracey's death, but they did not comment, directing Fox News Digital to Beckerink's arrest page showing his fugitive charge. Tracey was chief people officer at Nousot, a data analytics article source: Tech exec found 'pulverized' in luxury high-rise stairwell died from fall, medical examiner says
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Globo and Telemundo Studios Sign Co-Production Understanding to Expand Premium Scripted Content
In what is a continuous effort to strengthen their international reach and collaborations, Brazilian media powerhouse Globo has signed a understanding (MoU) to develop and co-produce premium scripted content with Telemundo Studios, a division of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. Under this new signed understanding, Globo and Telemundo will collaborate on the development and co-production of original films and series to be released as Globoplay Originals in Brazil and across Telemundo's broadcast and streaming platforms in the U.S. More from Variety France Embraces Spanish TV, But for How Long? LA Screenings Independents Bounces Back Brazilian Major Streamer Globoplay Bets on Global Reach of True Crime By Bringing Fourth Season of 'The Anti-Kidnapping Unit' to LA Screenings Currently, titles, formats and production models are still being finalized, but the focus of this new collaboration is to create high-value intellectual property with broad international appeal. Javier Pons, chief content officer & head of Telemundo Studios, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, said that this understanding 'marks an important step in expanding our storytelling reach and building a creative bridge between Brazil and the broader Hispanic world.' The executive added: 'With our unique expertise and ability to produce content that resonates globally, this partnership is going to strengthen our editorial alignment and pave the way for premium scripted projects that connect with audiences across borders.' Manuel Belmar, Director of Digital Products at Globo, highlighted how this co-production understanding 'reinforces Globo's investment in creating scripted IP that captivates audiences worldwide,' a notion that was put on a global stage recently with Brazil's first Oscar for 'I'm Still Here,' a Globoplay original production. 'By bringing together our strengths, we're confident we can develop compelling stories that not only resonate in Brazil and the U.S. but also expand our international reach at a time when global storytelling is more important than ever,' concluded Belmar. The understanding is a big new step on a fruitful collaborative relationship, with Globo and Telemundo having a history of co-producing Spanish-language adaptations of iconic Globo telenovelas, including 'Vale Tudo' ('Vale Todo'), 'O Clone' ('El Clon'), and 'Fina Estampa' ('Marido en Alquiler'), as well as series such as 'Amores Roubados' ('Jugar con Fuego'). Powerhouse Globo produces over 11,000 hours of novelas a year, and has successfully established co-production models with international territories, solidifying their expertise in the format while also cultivating key relationships with global partners. Over 3,000 Globo novelas and series have been translated into 70 languages. Currently, Globo also holds partnerships with other major players such as Gaumont, Beta Film, Fremantle, and Disney. This new deal will see the two giants join forces in this effort, expanding their presence in key markets and shaping the future of international content and collaboration. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
