ADRIAN, Mich. (AP) — A man was convicted Tuesday of killing his wife, whose body was found in an empty farm water tank in rural Michigan in 2024, three years after she disappeared.
Jurors heard evidence of marital problems between Dee and Dale Warner, but defense attorneys stressed there was no physical evidence linking Dee to Dale Warner’s death. The case was featured on true crime podcasts and television shows.
Signs and banners proclaiming “Justice for Dee” were posted around Lenawee County, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Detroit.
Dale Warner was found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Dee Warner, 52, disappeared in April 2021. More than two years later, Dale Warner was charged with murder, but investigators still have not found a body. In 2024, her body was found in a fertilizer tank. A handwritten label on the side of the tank reads “Out of Use” and “Do Not Refill.”
An autopsy revealed Dee Warner had been strangled and suffered blunt force trauma.
Prosecutor Jackie Wyse told jurors Dale Warner could have called 911 and said, “I screwed up.” When he realized what was happening, he instead taped Dee Warner’s mouth and nose shut so she couldn’t breathe.
“These are conscious decisions,” Wise said.
Defense attorney Mary Chartier said there was a lot of reasonable doubt, noting that Dale Warner spoke frequently to investigators during the search and denied hurting his wife. He worked in farming and trucking.
“You are not here to judge Mr. Warner as a husband,” Chartier told the jury. “You might think he’s a bad husband, a not very attentive husband, no matter what you think of him.”
