Dale Warner Murder Trial Delayed

Dale Warner on Day 5 of Jury Selection. Photo by Tracy Stengel.

Jury selection in the Dale Warner trial in Lenawee County Circuit Court is taking longer than planned. Therefore, the trial will be delayed until at least February 11, 2026. Opening statements were scheduled to begin February 10, 2026. Dale was charged in November 2023 with open murder and tampering with evidence in the death of his wife, Dee Ann Warner.

The jury selection for this case has two parts. The first round is dismissing people for cause. Reasons for cause vary but include things such as the 7-week trial would cause a financial hardship, disrupt a planned vacation, or interfere with a scheduled medical appointment or procedure.

Those who are not dismissed for cause have been advancing to the second round which is expected to begin this week. Two potential jurors that were previously advancing to the second round were dismissed. One who advanced yesterday brought in a doctor's note today, so he was dismissed. The other advanced this morning when he said he had never been charged with domestic violence, but this afternoon, the prosecutor found out he had, so he was dismissed.

Out of the 52 potential jurors today, 15 were immediately dismissed for being a member of the Justice for Dee Facebook page. Of those, 3 were men, 12 were women. Out of the 37 potential jurors who were questioned today, 9 men and 5 women are advancing to the second round.

To date, 57 potential jurors are advancing.

The Justice for Dee page was started by a friend of Dee’s exactly six months after Dee went missing from her Tecumseh, Michigan farm. Early on, Dee’s loved ones didn’t believe she left on her own accord. They were very vocal about not buying Dale’s story she had run off with another man to Jamaica or Mexico.

Dee had planned to tell Dale she wanted a divorce on the evening of April 24, 2021. The next morning, she had vanished. Dee’s four adult children and other family members were adamant Dee would not have willingly left without her nine-year-old daughter.

When Dee’s friend began the Justice for Dee Facebook page, there was no trace of Dee. She wasn’t on the security cameras around her property. There had been no activity on Dee's bank card, cell phone, or Apple watch. Her two vehicles remained on her property. The Facebook page was to notify as many people as possible that Dee was missing. Maybe someone saw or heard something. The objective was to locate Dee and bring her home.

Dale Warner did not participate in the search for Dee days after she vanished, nor did he attend any vigils or rallies. Dale did not join the Justice for Dee Facebook page.

In August 2024, the body of Dee Ann Warner was found in an anhydrous ammonia tank on Dale's property. It was cut open and welded back together.

By the third day of jury selection, being a member of Justice for Dee has resulted in potential jurors being dismissed without further questioning.

For more information on Dee Ann Warner, you can start here.