ADRIAN, Mich. ― Dale Warner, a prominent Tecumseh farmer whose marriage had dissolved into squabbling over money and unfaithfulness, was convicted Friday of killing his wife and hiding her body in a sealed fertilizer tank.

The burly Warner, wearing a coat and tie, buckled slightly as the verdict was read by a court clerk in Lenawee County Circuit Court. Defense attorney Mary Chartier, standing beside him, patted his arm as he became teary eyed.

In the gallery, relatives of his wife, Dee Warner, quietly cried and hugged each other.

The jury of seven men and five women deliberated nine hours over two days before finding Dale Warner guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

Dee Warner's brother weighs in on verdict

Lenawee County Circuit Judge Michael Olsaver scheduled sentencing for May 7. Warner, 58, could be sentenced from several years to up to life in prison.

Dee Warner, 52, who had been married to Dale since 2006, disappeared in April 2021, and her body was discovered in August 2024. She died from strangulation and blunt force trauma to her head, a medical examiner testified.

Dee Warner’s brother, Gregg Hardy, who was quickly suspicious of Dale and led a five-year campaign for his conviction, said the verdict was a long time coming.

Hardy, who became emotional as he spoke, said he was sometimes dispirited because the investigation, first by the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office and then the Michigan State Police, didn’t seem to make much progress.

“I fought every day for five years,” he said. “It was very difficult to get validation. It took nearly to the very end.”

He said he now felt exuberant. He had mounted a campaign called “Justice for Dee.” It now felt like Victory for Dee, he said.

“It’s almost impossible to believe we got it,” he said.

Prosecutor, defense attorney react to verdict

Warner’s attorney, Mary Chartier, said she was disappointed by the verdict but lauded the work done by the jury, which included some members taking copious notes.

She said Warner would appeal the conviction.

“We respect the process,” Chartier said. “The jury considered all the facts."

Lenawee County Prosecutor Jacqueline Wyse said she was pleased with the verdict.

"It's been a long time coming," Wyse said. "The community has been amazing in the way it came together over this."

The jury wasn't available for comment. Long after the verdict, they exited the court building one at a time, accompanied by a sheriff's deputy, who prevented a reporter from questioning them.

During closing statements, Wyse said the Warners had a long, troubled marriage that turned even more turbulent in the weeks leading to Dee’s disappearance in 2021.

The couple fought frequently over money and their farming and trucking businesses, the prosecutor said. Dale Warner spied on his wife, whom he suspected of having an affair.

Dee Warner often talked about divorcing her husband, but the feeling took on an urgency after she learned Dale told a worker Dee was on Xanax, a depressant, Wyse said.

On the night before her disappearance, Dee told Dale that she wanted to divorce him and sell their trucking business, the prosecutor said.

What the defense argued

But defense attorney Chartier, during closing arguments, ridiculed the prosecution's case against her client. She said it provided little direct evidence supporting their theory of what occurred.

One of the most glaring examples, she argued, was the timeline prosecutors presented for the crime, which said Warner hid his wife’s body on the day of her disappearance.

Chartier argued that photos taken by cameras at the Warners’ farm showed his location throughout the day. He wouldn’t have had enough time to kill his wife, move her body to the fertilizer tank, open and reseal the tank and then repaint it, she said.

Chartier also pointed out that several methods of searches on various Warner properties never found a blood stain or other evidence of her death, or any sign of a struggle in the home.

Verdict concludes 5-week trial with 35 witnesses

The trial, which stretched over five weeks, featured 12 days of testimony by 35 witnesses. Dale Warner did not testify.

Most of the evidence presented by the prosecution witnesses was circumstantial.

The marriage of Dale and Dee Warner in 2006 eventually turned into a business partnership, their nanny testified. By 2021, both the marriage and businesses were struggling.

They bickered over children, money and the farming and trucking businesses, relatives and testified. Dale Warner told police the firms struggled with loans, low profits and payroll problems, witnesses said.

Warner, who suspected his wife of having an affair, spied on her in various ways, according to testimony. He asked a worker to clone her phone and had another employee buy a GPS tracker for her Hummer in 2020.

He used a mobile phone app to check the location of his wife’s Cadillac Escalade 2,100 times from January 2020 to April 2021, said a data analyst with General Motors Co.

The police testified they discovered notes compiled by Warner that described his wife’s activities, opinions and text conversations.

Eruption happens before Dee Warner's disappearance

The troubled marriage had another eruption the night before Dee went missing in April 2021. The couple had a fight after Dee learned Dale had told a worker she was on Xanax, a depressant.

Zack Bock, Dee’s son from an earlier marriage, testified that she wanted to divorce Dale and sell the businesses. She had threatened divorce before, but now seemed especially resolved, other children said.

Dale told police that the marital arguments would get loud but never physical. Other witnesses, however, said they noticed marks on Dee’s body.

Stacey Brodie, Dee’s massage therapist, said she observed bruises on her body eight to 10 times, including one on her hip that resembled a handprint.

Dee died from strangulation and blunt force trauma, testified Dr. Patrick Cho, deputy medical examiner of Oakland County. She had bruises on her temples and the back of her head, he said.

The lead investigator, Detective Lt. Daniel Drewyor of the Michigan State Police, and other law enforcement officials testified about Dale Warner’s behavior after his wife went missing.

Warners' farm had resealed tank that was moved

A drone used by police to take photos and videos of the Warners’ farm showed Dale using a backhoe loader to move a rusted fertilizer tank from a burn pile, testified witnesses. It occurred after Dale learned police were going to use cadaver dogs to search the property, the witnesses said.

The body of Dee Warner was later found in a fertilizer tank that had been resealed and repainted, witnesses said. It was located in a storage building on Warners’ property in Tipton, several miles from their farm near Tecumseh, said witnesses.

Dee’s body, clad in pajamas, was wrapped in two blue tarps with her arms and legs bound with duct tape, police said.

A review of Dale Warner’s electronic devices found searches for “What to do with 1000 gallon propane tank,” “chemical cremation” and “what is liquid cremation and why is it illegal,” testified police. The review also found searches for “10 Widow Dating Sites.”

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