Monroe County resident Eli Calero will face a Scranton jury in September 2026 for the death of a Wilkes-Barre man who had just been convicted on federal drug charges
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY — A Lackawanna County judge has scheduled a September 2026 trial for the East Stroudsburg man accused of killing a fellow inmate inside the Scranton-area prison over access to a newspaper.
Judge Terrence Nealon signed the order December 17, 2025, setting Eli Valentine Calero’s criminal homicide trial for September 8, 2026. The 43-year-old Monroe County resident waived his preliminary hearing December 5, advancing the case to Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas in Scranton.
Calero remains at the same Lackawanna County facility where prosecutors say he killed Michael Jones Jr. on September 9. The East Stroudsburg man has been denied bail since his arrest and is held as a federal detainee while his Monroe County drug trafficking case proceeds.
A Convicted Drug Trafficker Awaiting Sentencing
Jones wasn’t just any inmate. The 45-year-old Wilkes-Barre man had been convicted on 10 federal counts three months before his death — and was facing a potential life sentence.
A Scranton jury delivered the verdict December 10, 2024, after a six-and-a-half day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani. Jones was convicted of running a fentanyl conspiracy, possessing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine with intent to distribute, carrying a stolen gun while trafficking drugs, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and operating a drug house on High Street in Wilkes-Barre.
The case stemmed from an April 2021 traffic stop when Pennsylvania State Police found drugs hidden in a stereo speaker in Jones’ trunk. A search of his stash house turned up more narcotics, packaging supplies, a stolen gun, and $20,000 cash. Jones never made it to sentencing — federal prosecutors dismissed his case after he died.
What Surveillance Footage Captured
Lackawanna County Detective Vincent Butkiewicz laid out the events in his affidavit.
Jones walked into Calero’s cell in the Lackawanna County Prison’s Echo Unit, K Block, at 11:30 a.m. on September 9. Fourteen minutes later, Calero was dragging his unconscious body out.
Calero stood over Jones, removed his shirts, and punched the motionless man twice in the face and neck, according to the affidavit. He spoke briefly with another inmate, Renardo Sims, before pulling Jones back into the cell and papering over the window.
Over the next 25 minutes, Calero went in and out repeatedly, washed his hands in a utility closet, and removed a clear garbage bag. Other inmates cycled through.
Sims summoned a nurse at 12:11 p.m. Staff found Jones bleeding on the cell floor and began CPR. Paramedics transported him to Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, where he was pronounced dead at 12:59 p.m.
The Lackawanna County Coroner determined Jones suffered a herniated brainstem from blunt force trauma. The ruling: homicide.
Two Stories About What Started It
Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher has been blunt about what sparked the violence.
“This senseless death occurred because of a fight over access to a newspaper on the block,” Gallagher said.
Each morning, Sims would pass a newspaper under Jones’ door and keep one for himself. Calero had grown frustrated about being skipped. One inmate told Lackawanna County detectives that “Calero’s displeasure with Sims was escalating” and the confrontation “stemmed from an issue with the newspaper.”
Calero disputes that account, telling investigators Jones entered his cell uninvited, made sexual comments, and that he acted in self-defense.
Monroe County Drug Trafficking Case Could Mean Life in Prison
The Lackawanna County homicide is only part of Calero’s legal trouble.
Federal prosecutors in Scranton indicted the East Stroudsburg man in March 2025 for possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and cocaine for distribution in Monroe County on March 12, 2025.
A superseding indictment in April added John Charles Ehrhard Jr., 56, of Stroudsburg, as a co-defendant. Prosecutors allege both Monroe County men conspired to distribute over 500 grams of meth from May 2024 through March 2025. Ehrhard faces additional counts for multiple meth sales and possessing a gun while prohibited due to a prior felony.
The FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, Pocono Mountain Regional Police, and Monroe County District Attorney’s Office built the case under Operation Take Back America, the Justice Department’s initiative against cartel-related drug trafficking in communities including the Poconos.
If convicted, Calero faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and up to life — before any sentence in the Lackawanna County homicide.
Monroe County Traffic History
Before the federal indictment, Calero had minor run-ins with Monroe County police.
Pocono Township Police cited the East Stroudsburg resident April 22, 2024, for riding an ATV on a highway. He lost at a June 18 summary trial before Monroe County Magisterial District Judge Daniel Kresge.
Stroud Area Regional Police in Stroudsburg cited him three days later for a similar violation. He was found guilty May 23, 2024, before Monroe County Magisterial District Judge Michael A. Wolbert.
Court Information
Scranton attorney John Henry Scanlon IV of Shane Scanlon Law LLC represents Calero. Lackawanna County Assistant District Attorney Gene P. Riccardo is prosecuting.
The case is docketed as CP-35-CR-0002316-2025 in Scranton. The federal Monroe County drug case proceeds separately in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
- Defendant: Eli Valentine Calero, 43, East Stroudsburg, Monroe County
- Charge: Criminal Homicide (18 § 2501 §§ A), First-Degree Felony
- Victim: Michael Jones Jr., 45, Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County
- Date of Incident: September 9, 2025
- Location: Lackawanna County Prison, Scranton
- Trial Date: September 8, 2026
- Presiding Judge: Terrence R. Nealon, Lackawanna County
- Prosecutor: ADA Gene P. Riccardo, Lackawanna County DA’s Office
- Defense Counsel: John Henry Scanlon IV, Shane Scanlon Law LLC, Scranton
- Docket: CP-35-CR-0002316-2025
- Bail: Denied