Warner’s conviction came after years of searching for Dee Warner, whose disappearance in April 2021 left investigators without her body for more than two years. The case resurfaced publicly again in 2024, when her remains were discovered inside an empty farm tank in rural Michigan, according to the Associated Press. The jury’s decision on Tuesday found that prosecutors met their burden despite defense arguments that there was no physical evidence directly tying Warner to her death.
Prosecutors said the evidence showed a pattern of deliberate conduct in the moments leading to Dee Warner’s death. In court, prosecutor Jackie Wyse told jurors that Dale Warner could have called 911 when he realized what happened, but instead taped Dee Warner’s mouth and nose so she could not breathe, the AP reported. Wyse told jurors that “Those were all conscious decisions,” describing the steps she said Warner took as intentional rather than accidental.
The AP reported that jurors heard testimony about a troubled marriage between Dee and Dale Warner, while defense lawyers emphasized the lack of physical evidence linking him to the killing. Defense attorney Mary Chartier argued that there was reasonable doubt and said Dale Warner regularly talked to investigators during the search while denying hurting his wife. Chartier also told jurors, “You are not here to judge Mr. Warner as a husband,” adding, “You may think he was a bad husband, a not-very-attentive husband, whatever you may think of him.”
Under the verdict, Dale Warner was convicted of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence, according to the AP. Dee Warner was 52 when she disappeared, and Dale Warner was charged with murder more than two years later even though investigators still had not located her body at that time. The prosecution’s case ultimately depended on what investigators found after Dee Warner’s remains were discovered in 2024.
Investigators found Dee Warner’s remains inside a fertilizer tank that was described as empty, with a handwritten tag on the side that included “out of service” and “do not fill.” An autopsy, the AP reported, showed Dee Warner was strangled and had suffered blunt force trauma. Prosecutors and jurors also heard that the case had been featured in real-crime podcasts and television shows, helping keep attention on the missing-person story as evidence developed.
As the trial proceeded, signs and banners declaring “Justice For Dee” were posted around Lenawee County, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Detroit. The Associated Press reported the campaign underscored the continued public focus on a case that began with a disappearance and reached a jury decision years later after remains were found.