Dale Warner jury returns guilty verdict in Dee Warner murder trial
dale warner was found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence after a jury verdict delivered in Lenawee County Circuit Court. The conviction centers on the killing of Dee Warner and the concealment of her body in a sealed fertilizer tank. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 7, 2026, and the case carries the possibility of a life sentence.
Verdict delivered after two days of deliberations
The jury—seven men and five women—deliberated for nine hours over two days before returning guilty findings on second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. In court, Dale Warner, described as a prominent Tecumseh farmer, wore a coat and tie and showed little emotion as a court clerk read the verdict in Lenawee County Circuit Court. In the gallery, Dee Warner’s relatives quietly cried and hugged one another.
Lenawee County Circuit Judge Michael Olsaver set sentencing for May 7, 2026. At sentencing, the court will determine the punishment for the second-degree murder conviction and the evidence-tampering count. The available penalty includes up to life in prison, with the possibility of parole.
Dale Warner case details: disappearance, discovery, and trial testimony
Dee Warner, 52, had been married to Dale Warner since 2006. She disappeared in April 2021 and her body was discovered in August 2024 inside a fertilizer tank located on Dale Warner’s property. A medical examiner testified that Dee Warner died from strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.
Prosecutors presented a case built largely on circumstantial evidence. The trial stretched over five weeks and included 12 days of testimony from 35 witnesses. Dale Warner did not testify. During closing statements, Lenawee County Prosecutor Jacqueline Wyse described a marriage marked by conflict that escalated in the weeks leading up to the disappearance. Wyse said the couple fought frequently over money and over their farming and trucking businesses, and she said Dale Warner had spied on Dee Warner amid suspicions of an affair.
Wyse also told jurors that Dee Warner often talked about divorcing her husband, and that the urgency increased after Dee Warner learned Dale Warner told a worker she was on Xanax, a depressant. Wyse said that on the night before her disappearance, Dee Warner told Dale Warner she wanted to divorce and sell their trucking business.
Defense challenges and timeline disputes
Defense attorney Mary Chartier attacked the prosecution’s timeline and argued the case lacked direct evidence of what occurred. Chartier said prosecutors alleged Dale Warner hid Dee Warner’s body on the day she disappeared, but Chartier argued photos from cameras at the farm showed his location through the day, leaving insufficient time to kill Dee Warner, move her body, open and reseal the fertilizer tank, and repaint it.
Chartier also pointed to searches conducted across various Warner properties that did not uncover blood stains or other evidence of Dee Warner’s death, and she said there was no sign of a struggle inside the home.
What’s next as sentencing approaches
The next major step is the May 7, 2026 sentencing hearing in Lenawee County Circuit Court. Between now and then, the court process will move from the jury’s determination of guilt to the judge’s decision on punishment. For Dee Warner’s family and for the community closely following this case, the sentencing date is now the focal point—and dale warner will return to court to learn the consequences of the verdict.
