LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. (Scripps News Detroit) — The trial for Dale Warner, the man charged with murdering his wife Dee in Michigan, is on pause until next week.
Dale Warner sits in court during closing arguments on March 5, 2026. (Court TV)
The jury was expected to continue deliberations on Friday until we were told by the judge that a female juror had a medical emergency and was not able to make it.
The judge proceeded to call in three alternates who had been in attendance for the entirety of the trial, to question them after they were dismissed, to learn if they had seen any news reports or social media posts about the trial, or spoken about it with anyone.
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The judge decided that all jurors would be dismissed for the day and asked to return on Tuesday at 9 a.m. This would give the juror with the medical emergency three days to possibly heal and come back, although all three alternates will also be back. If she can’t return, one of the alternates may or may not be chosen.
If the juror can’t make it, and no alternate is chosen, this is not inherently a mistrial, as other options are on the table. Scripps News Group of Detroit spoke to a family friend in the courtroom today, who said they are exhausted and cannot take any more delays after a grueling, emotional last five years.
Dee Warner went missing back in 2021. Her body was found in a fertilizer tank in 2024 on Dale’s farming property. Prosecution says Dale had the motive to want to murder Dee, after she expressed wanting a divorce, with him telling law enforcement that he did not want to go through with that. The defense is saying there’s not enough evidence that Moore is the one who did this.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Group of Detroit.
