Share and Follow
A Michigan man has been found guilty of murdering his wife, whose remains were shockingly discovered within a farm fertilizer tank. This verdict concludes a complex and widely followed case that spanned several years.
On Tuesday, Dale Warner faced conviction for second-degree murder along with tampering with evidence, as determined by a jury.
Dale Warner faced charges in 2023, more than two years after his wife, Dee Warner, aged 52, disappeared from their Franklin Township home in April 2021.
The discovery of Dee’s body, found inside a fertilizer tank labeled “out of service” and “do not fill,” occurred in 2024, in a rural area of Michigan.
The case drew significant attention, and Warner’s conviction on charges of second-degree murder and evidence tampering brings a grim chapter to an end. The image provided by Jacob Hamilton of the Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP serves as a haunting reminder of the tragedy.
During the trial, defense attorneys argued there was no physical evidence tying Warner to his wife’s death.
An autopsy showed Dee Warner was strangled and suffered blunt force trauma.
Her disappearance and murder trial received widespread attention, including on true-crime podcasts and TV shows.
Dale Warner was found guilty by a jury in the 2021 killing of his wife, Dee Warner, after her remains were discovered in 2024.
“Justice for Dee” signs and banners were hung around Lenawee County, roughly 70 miles southwest of Detroit.
Prosecutors described a stressed marriage between Dee and Dale Warner, though the defense team argued that was irrelevant.
Prosecutor Jackie Wyse argued in court that Dale Warner could have called 911 and said, “I screwed up,” after realizing what happened to his wife, but then taped her mouth and nose, preventing her from breathing.
Dee Warner, 52, went missing from her Franklin Township home in April 2021. Her remains were located three years later in rural Michigan. (Facebook/Dee Warner)
“Those were all conscious decisions,” Wyse said.
Meanwhile, defense attorney Mary Chartier argued there was reasonable doubt in the case.
She said that Dale Warner denied hurting his wife and cooperated with investigators during the search.
“You are not here to judge Mr. Warner as a husband,” Chartier said during the trial. “You may think he was a bad husband, a not-very-attentive husband, whatever you may think of him.”
<!–>
–>