ADRIAN, MI (WTVB) – Lenawee County judge sentenced Dale Warner to up to 70 years in prison on May 7, 2026, for the murder of his wife, Dee Warner, following a high-profile investigation that lasted five years.
The sentencing came after a jury found Warner guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in March 2026. Judge Michael R. Olsaver handed down a sentence of 31.25 to 60 years for the murder charge and an additional 17 months to 10 years for tampering, ordering the terms to be served consecutively.
During the emotional hearing, the judge noted the extreme nature of the crime, highlighting that Warner had welded his wife’s remains into a fertilizer tank and left her in a “crude tomb” for more than three years.
The case reached a breaking point in August 2024 when Michigan State Police discovered Dee Warner’s body hidden in a sealed anhydrous ammonia tank on the couple’s property, years after she was first reported missing in April 2021. Prosecutors successfully argued that Dale Warner killed his wife after she expressed interest in a divorce and selling their family businesses.
While Warner’s defense team maintained his innocence and planned to appeal the verdict, Dee’s family expressed relief at the sentence, with her daughter describing her mother as the “foundation” of their family and calling the outcome a long-awaited victory for justice.
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