LACKAWANNA COUNTY, PA — A fight over who got to read the morning newspaper ended with one federal inmate dead and a Monroe County man facing homicide charges. Now, nearly three months later, the accused killer is headed to court in Scranton.

Eli Valentine Calero, 43, of East Stroudsburg in Monroe County, will appear before Judge James A. Gibbons on December 5 for a preliminary hearing on criminal homicide charges. Lackawanna County prosecutors allege Calero beat fellow inmate Michael Jones Jr., 45, of Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County, to death inside their shared cell block at Lackawanna County Prison on September 9.

The hearing — continued twice since Calero was charged in late September — will determine whether enough evidence exists to send the case to trial in Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. Calero has been held without bail at Lackawanna County Prison since his arrest.

• Preliminary Hearing: December 5, 2025 — 9:30 a.m.
• Court: Lackawanna County
• Judge: The Honorable James A. Gibbons
• Case Number: MJ-45106-CR-0000537-2025
• OTN: L 1014805-1
• Lead Investigator: Lackawanna County Detective Vincent R. Butkiewicz
• Bail: Denied

Lackawanna County DA: “Senseless”

Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher didn’t mince words when announcing the charges.

“This senseless death occurred because of a fight over access to a newspaper on the block,” Gallagher said.

Both men were U.S. Marshals Service detainees awaiting proceedings on separate federal cases in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. They were housed in the Lackawanna County Prison’s Echo Unit, K Block — a proximity that proved fatal.

The Lackawanna County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy that revealed Jones suffered a herniated brainstem from blunt head trauma. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.

14 Minutes in Cell K2

Surveillance footage and witness accounts, detailed in an affidavit by Lackawanna County Detective Vincent Butkiewicz, paint a grim picture of what happened that morning inside the Lackawanna County correctional facility.

At 11:30 a.m., Jones walked into Calero’s cell. Fourteen minutes later, Calero dragged him out — unconscious.

“Calero then stands over Jones, takes off his shirts, and punches Jones twice in his face/neck areas while lying on the floor,” Butkiewicz wrote. “Jones did not appear to be conscious when drug out of cell K2.”

Standing over the limp body, Calero exchanged words with another inmate, Renardo Sims, before dragging Jones back inside. He then covered the cell window with newspaper — blocking guards from seeing in.

Over the next 25 minutes, Calero moved in and out of the cell repeatedly. He washed his hands in a utility closet. He removed a clear garbage bag. Other inmates entered the cell at various points.

At 12:11 p.m., Sims finally called for a nurse. Staff found Jones on the floor, bleeding. CPR began two minutes later. An ambulance rushed him to Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, but it was too late. Jones was pronounced dead at 12:59 p.m.

The Motive: Morning Paper

The violence traced back to a daily ritual: newspaper distribution on the Lackawanna County Prison cell block.

According to another inmate who spoke with Lackawanna County detectives, Sims would slide a newspaper under Jones’ cell door each morning while keeping one for himself. Calero had grown increasingly agitated about being left out.

“Calero’s displeasure with Sims was escalating,” the inmate told investigators, adding that the fight “stemmed from an issue with the newspaper.”

Footage from hours before the attack showed Sims handing out papers and tablets. At one point, he held a newspaper out toward Calero as he passed by.

Calero told a different story. He claimed Jones entered his cell uninvited and “made homosexual comments,” prompting him to defend himself.

Monroe County Drug Case Already Pending

The Lackawanna County homicide charge compounds an already dire legal situation for the Monroe County resident.

In March, a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Pennsylvania indicted Calero on drug trafficking charges. Prosecutors allege he possessed more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and an undisclosed amount of cocaine for distribution in Monroe County.

The Monroe County investigation involved the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department, and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office. It falls under Operation Take Back America, a Justice Department initiative targeting drug cartels and violent crime in communities across the Poconos and northeastern Pennsylvania.

That federal charge alone carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The case is proceeding separately from the Lackawanna County homicide prosecution.

What’s Next in Lackawanna County Court

Calero’s December 5 hearing at 9:30 a.m. in Lackawanna County will be his first substantive court appearance since his arrest. If Judge Gibbons finds sufficient evidence, the case moves to Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas for trial.

He is represented by Scranton attorney John Henry Scanlon IV of Shane Scanlon Law LLC.

Jones, the victim, was a Luzerne County resident and federal detainee with his own pending case at the time of his death.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.