Eli Calero, 44, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for killing another inmate over a newspaper, facing a potential 20-year prison term
SCRANTON, Pa. — A federal inmate at the Lackawanna County Prison who beat to death another inmate in a fight over a newspaper pleaded guilty Monday to a felony that potentially exposes him to decades more behind bars.
Eli Calero, 44, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for killing Michael Jones Jr. on Sept. 9, 2025, county District Attorney Brian Gallagher said.
Jones and Calero fought over access to a newspaper, police have said. Jones died of blunt force trauma to the head.
The felony count carries a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, Gallagher said.
However, Gallagher said that will first have to finish a sentence set to be handed down in federal court for a conviction in a federal drug case.
The killing happened while Calero was in the county jail awaiting trial on that drug case. A jury found him guilty in the drug case on June 29. A sentencing date has not been set.
Calero is slated to be sentenced for the killing in about 90 days, Gallagher said.