ADRIAN, Mich. (WXYZ) — The trial for Dale Warner, a Lenawee County man charged in connection with the murder of his wife, Dee, back in 2021, resumed on Tuesday for day two.
Watch Brett Kast's video report:
The trial gaveled in for the day at around 11:20 a.m. with the testimony of Zachery Bock, Dee Warner's son. He testified through the morning session.
After breaking for lunch, the rest of the day was consumed by the testimony of Austin Hall, a deputy with the Lenawee County Sheriff's Department's road division, who took the missing person's report when Dee Warner was reported missing. Hall's testimony included a number of lengthy body camera videos, which were played for the court.
Those videos showed multiple meetings with Dale Warner in the days following Dee’s disappearance. On one visit, prosecutors highlighted how Dale Waner was found hosing down the floor of his barn when deputies arrived. Still frames from the body camera were shown to the court.
“He was spraying off the floors, said he had some chemicals on the ground," Hall stated on the stand. "He asked us to leave the barn, so he could finish spraying it off.”
In another clip, just a few days after Dee Warner's disappearance, Dale was questioned about why he changed the password to the property’s security cameras so Dee's son, Bock, could no longer access them. As an employee, Bock previously had access to the camera system on his phone and says he used them to try and find the whereabouts of his mom.
“I don’t feel at this time that he (Bock) has a right to have my security system on his phone," Dale Warner told the deputies on the bodycam video. "This is still Dee’s and my business.”
Hall's testimony consumed the afternoon, with the court breaking for the day around 4 p.m. He will retake the stand when court resumes at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The court is closed on Monday for Presidents' Day.
Related stories:
- Here's what happened on day 1 of the Dee Warner murder trial
- Here's a timeline of the major events in Dee Warner's disappearance and murder
During the first day, prosecutors and the defense gave their opening statements and four people took the stand. Those were two of Dee Warner's daughters, an esthetician and a longtime friend of Dee.
The trial is a long time coming for Dee Warner's family. Her brother, Gregg Hardy, says loved ones braced to hear evidence and see Dale Warner once again.
Watch below: Michigan State Police say arrest made in connection with 2021 murder of Dee Warner
"It’s been nearly five years, and you know it’s been a long battle, but we’re very grateful that we’re there," Hardy told us.
Hardy and the rest of Dee Warner's family have filled the courtroom.
"I have been anticipating the opportunity to hear how you defend the indefensible," Hardy said. "There’s no question, some of it is going to be gruesome, it’s certainly going to be agonizing and play hour by hour on your emotions."
Dale Warner was bound over for trial before investigators found Dee's remains sealed in an ammonia tank on Dale's property in 2024, over three years after she went missing.
Watch below: Dee Warner's family speaks after remains were identified as her body
