LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. – A Lenawee County judge denied a motion Thursday to change the venue for Dale Warner’s murder trial, despite defense concerns about media coverage and social media influence on potential jurors.
Dale faces charges in connection with the death of his wife, Dee Warner, whose remains were discovered in a large anhydrous tank in 2024, three years after her disappearance.
Defense attorney Mary Chartier argued that extensive social media coverage has created a prejudicial environment against her client.
“There has been a tremendous amount on social media about this case, all of it, practically all of it, fundamentally against Mr. Warner,” said Chartier.
The defense raised specific concerns about potential jury tampering through social media.
Chartier revealed that an individual had posted instructions on a “Justice for D” page about becoming a “stealth juror” by scrubbing social media profiles to conceal bias against the defendant.
David McCreedy, with the Lenawee County Prosecutor’s Office, argued that the motion was premature.
“This motion kind of puts the cart before the horse and assumes, based on a few anecdotes, that out of the tens of thousands of potential Lenawee County jurors, that 12 fair and impartial jurors cannot be found,” said McCreedy.
While Judge Michael Olsaver acknowledged the defense’s concerns about online activity surrounding the case, he determined the situation didn’t yet warrant a venue change.
“I do share some of the concerns about things that had been said, particularly online, in this case. However, I don’t know that at this point it rises to the level that we need to say that a fair jury cannot be picked,” Olsaver said.
The judge denied the motion without prejudice, meaning Warner’s defense team can revisit the venue change request at a later date.
