LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Jury selection is underway in the trial of Dale Warner, 57, who is accused of killing his wife, Dee Ann Warner, 52, after rejecting a last-minute plea deal.

Dee Warner, 52, disappeared from her Lenawee County home in April 2021, sparking a years-long missing-person investigation. Her husband, Dale Warner, was charged with her murder after Michigan State Police found Dee’s remains in August 2024 inside a sealed anhydrous ammonia tank on property owned by him.

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Warner has pleaded not guilty to charges of open murder and tampering with evidence. He rejected a plea deal that would have reduced the open murder charge to second- degree murder, declining the offer just before jury selection began.

Jury challenges arise.

Because of intense media coverage and local attention, lawyers on both sides are screening potential jurors for bias, but the high-profile nature makes finding an impartial panel difficult. The judge has granted each side extra peremptory challenges to remove prospective jurors without stating a reason.

TV journalist Mel Andrews with WTOL 11 posted on Facebook on Monday about the jury selection: “The numbers are not promising for today. Out of 37 potential jurors questioned today, only 7 were not dismissed for cause. 15 of the 37 were dismissed because they’re members of the Justice for Dee FB page. 12 of the 37 said Warner is guilty.”

National spotlight on as trial moves forward.

The case has attracted national attention, including features on 48 Hours and People Magazine Investigates. Dee Warner’s disappearance has also been examined in numerous podcasts, including Dateline: Missing in America, as well as multiple YouTube documentary investigations.

With jury selection underway, attorneys are expected to move into opening statements tentatively scheduled to begin on February 10.