LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. – The man accused of murdering his wife and hiding her body inside a large anhydrous tank in Lenawee County virtually appeared in court Friday.
Dee Warner, 52, was reported missing on April 25, 2021. She told her friend she was going to meet up with her husband, Dale Warner, and was never seen or heard from again.
Dee’s remains were found inside a chemical storage tank on his property three years after she went missing.
Dale was charged with her murder and tampering with evidence.
He is expected to stand trial in connection to Dee’s murder.
The defense filed five motions to the court on May 30, 2025, and challenged the prosecutors.
Dale appeared in court via Zoom.
Click here for our previous coverage.
Here are key takeaways from the hearing:
Business record certifications
The defense requested that the judge set a “reasonable” deadline for submitting records that could be admitted as evidence in the trial.
The judge granted that records will be submitted up to 28 days before the trial.
Motion to compel discovery
The defense requested a motion to compel discovery, saying there were missing pieces of discovery of evidence. The defense claimed there was a lack of notes or documentation of witness interviews.
The defense argued that prosecutors had the evidence police gave them but didn’t share all of the statements.
Defense attorneys requested to have another hearing to determine whether the missing statements were important for the trial.
The judge decided to schedule a separate hearing regarding the missing statements.
Motion to suppress evidence
The defense also requested a motion to suppress evidence, saying false statements were made during search warrants.
In the affidavit, a detective said Dale was alone on the farm on April 25, 2021, working on the tanks.
Defense attorneys said that was a false statement. They said video surveillance showed Dale was not alone at the farm. Dee’s relatives were also at the farm.
Prosecutors clarified that Dale was alone at the barn, and it’s believed he was gathering equipment to weld and repaint the tank that Dee was found dead in.
Defense attorneys said that the statement was different, making it false.
The defense also pointed out that a welding expert couldn’t confirm that the welding job done on the tank Dee was found in was the same welding job as the other tanks that were factory-welded. However, police said the welds were different. The defense found that to be contradictory.
The defense also claimed that one witness made false statements to the media, and that the detective on the case told the witness it was false through a text exchange.
Prosecutors said there was no evidence that the statements made during the investigation were false and the text messages never mentioned what the false statements were.
The defense said the miswording is “blatantly” false statements.
The judge denied the motion to suppress the evidence.
Jail calls
The defense then challenged the prosecutors’ and police’s ability to listen to Dale’s jail calls. Defense attorneys claimed the jail should be the only entity to listen to his jail calls and violated his 4th Amendment.
The judge said Dale gave up his privacy because he was aware that all of his jail calls were recorded. The recordings can be listened to by government agencies, as Dale was aware that his jail calls were being recorded.
The judge said prosecutors and police having access to his jail calls are reasonable if there is evidence related to the case.
Change of venue
The defense claimed that social media has swayed people’s opinions against Dale.
Defense attorneys pointed out an account posted to social media on how to be a stealth juror. The defense argued that the jury could be flawed and not provide Dale with a fair trial.
Prosecutors agreed that the social media post is concerning but said social media could circulate statewide, making it pointless to change the venue.
Prosecutors also said there’s a good chance to get a fair jury out of the thousands who live in the county.
The judge agreed the social media post was concerning, but he did not think it was at the level where they can’t pick a jury out of the thousands of people in the county.
The motion to move the case to a different county was denied without prejudice. The defense can raise the issue again if needed.
Trial date moved
One of the defense lawyers requested the trial date to be moved to January 2026 due to her having surgery.
The judge agreed and the trial was rescheduled to Jan. 27, 2026.