Lenawee County prosecutors continued to build their case last week against Dale Warner, showing jurors surveillance video, digital records and autopsy findings they claim link him to the murder of his wife, Dee, in 2021.
Warner, 58, is charged with open murder and tampering with evidence. Dee, 52, disappeared from the couple’s farm in Franklin Township in April 2021. Her remains were discovered in August 2024 inside a rewelded anhydrous ammonia tank on property owned by Warner.
Testimony has focused on the couple’s deteriorating marriage and business disputes. Amy Alexander, who is romantically involved with Warner’s brother, said Dee planned to tell her husband on April 24, 2021, that she wanted a divorce and to sell their businesses. That night, the couple’s nine-year-old daughter stayed with friends, leaving Dee and Dale Warner alone at home.
Jurors were shown body camera footage of early interviews conducted by Detective Kevin Greca, in which Warner suggested his wife may have left voluntarily and offered multiple explanations for her disappearance. Warner spoke at length during those interviews, shifting between theories and accusing his wife of drug use and financial misconduct.
Dee’s son, Zack Bock, testified his mother and Warner argued frequently — often about money — and said her silence April 25, 2021, was unlike previous occasions when she’d left during disputes.
Several witnesses, including Dustin Lolley — who is romantically involved with Dee’s daughter — described tracking and surveillance inside the marriage. Lolley testified that a GPS device was placed on Dee’s vehicle and monitored regularly.
Kevin Wagner, a family IT contractor, said Warner asked him to change surveillance camera passwords and remove Dee’s access and others shortly after she was reported missing.
Digital evidence presented Feb. 18 showed Dee’s phone was last connected to a cell tower near the family property around 7:14 a.m. April 25, 2021. Devin Newell, an expert from General Motors, testified an OnStar “unlock” command was issued to her vehicle that morning from a recently added iPhone.
Michigan State Police Det. Daniel Drewyor testified that investigators discovered Dee’s remains inside an anhydrous tank marked “out of service” and bearing a nonfactory weld.
Dr. Patrick Cho, who performed the autopsy, testified Dee died from strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head and face. Cho said her body was bound with duct tape and wrapped in two tarps. Toxicology tests showed no evidence of oxycodone, contradicting statements Warner made to investigators that Dee took prescription painkillers for a headache.
Jurors were played surveillance video from April 25, 2021, showing Warner with welding equipment the day Dee was reported missing.
The trial continues this week in Lenawee County Circuit Court.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Dale Warner murder trial: Video, digital evidence, autopsy findings presented
Reporting by Corey J. Murray, The Daily Telegram / The Detroit News
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