Witness testimony reached Day 3 Tuesday in the high-profile murder trial of Dale Warner in Lenawee County Circuit Court, Michigan, where the farmer stands accused of killing his wife, Dee Warner (also referred to as Cydney in some reports), in April 2021. The case, drawing crowds including Dee’s family members, centers on her remains discovered in August 2024 inside a welded-shut anhydrous ammonia tank on family property, with the medical examiner ruling death by strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.
Day 3 Proceedings
Prosecutors opened Day 3 by playing body camera footage of interviews with Dale Warner conducted days after Dee’s disappearance on April 24, 2021, including a May 3, 2021, session. In the videos, Warner suggested to deputies that Dee had argued with employees, discussed selling businesses amid financial disputes, and possibly left voluntarily after taking medications that slurred her speech and caused her to pass out. Witnesses like Stephanie Voelkle, Dee’s close friend and employee, and Brian Bush, Warner’s former son-in-law, also testified, detailing Dee’s final days and Warner’s reactions.
Deputy Austin Hall resumed testimony, recounting Warner’s initial statements that Dee was upset over business issues, had altercations with staff like Terry, and left her wedding ring behind—items prosecutors highlight as suspicious.
Case Background
Dee Warner, 52, vanished from the couple’s Franklin Township home after reportedly telling Dale she wanted a divorce and to sell their operations. Warner was arrested in November 2023 for murder and tampering with evidence, even before her body was found, following a declaration of death trial. Prior days featured emotional accounts from Dee’s daughters and bodycam from the initial response, where Warner shifted stories about her whereabouts.
The trial follows two weeks of jury selection and is projected to last 7-9 weeks with dozens more witnesses.
Defense and Prosecution Clashes
Prosecutors allege a pattern of domestic control and financial motives, pointing to surveillance of Warner with welding tools and Dee finding a tracking device in her car. The defense calls the evidence “speculation and innuendo” without direct links, maintaining Dee may have left on her own. Dee’s brother, Gregg Hardy, spoke outside court, expressing anticipation for justice after nearly five years.
