ADRIAN, MICHIGAN — A man was convicted Tuesday of killing his wife, whose body was found Found in an empty farm tank In rural Michigan in 2024, three years after she disappeared.
Jurors heard evidence of a troubled marriage between Dee and Dale Warner, although defense lawyers stressed there was no physical evidence linking him to her death. The case has been featured on true crime radio and television shows.
Banners and banners were placed around Lenawee County, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Detroit, declaring “Justice for Dee.”
Dale Warner was convicted of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Dee Warner, 52, disappeared in April 2021. And so was Dale Warner Accused of murder More than two years later, though, investigators have yet to find a body. In 2024, her remains were discovered inside a fertilizer tank. There is a handwritten sign on the side of the tank that says “OUT OF SERVICE” and “DO NOT FILL.”
An autopsy showed that Dee Warner had been strangled and suffered blunt force trauma.
Prosecutor Jackie Wise told jurors that Dale Warner could have called 911 and said, “I screwed up,” when he realized what had happened, but instead he taped up Dee Warner’s mouth and nose so she couldn’t breathe.
“Those were all conscious decisions,” Wise said.
Defense attorney Mary Chartier said there was plenty of reasonable doubt, noting that Dale Warner regularly spoke to investigators during the search and denied hurting his wife. He worked in agriculture and trucking.
“You are not here to judge Mr. Warner as a husband,” Chartier told the jury. “You might think he was a bad husband, a very uncaring husband, whatever you thought of him.”