A 43-year-old Adrian man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for delivering fentanyl that killed a Blissfield man found dead in his home in November 2024. Eric Lee Cooper entered his plea on Tuesday, closing out a nearly two-year case that began with a death investigation and ended with the discovery of drugs, cash, and firearms inside his mobile home.
The victim, identified as 34-year-old Paul Jones, was found deceased inside his home on East U.S. 223 in Blissfield on November 7, 2024, according to WTOL. Police say his death was later confirmed as fentanyl intoxication, a finding that pointed investigators toward Cooper. As reported by ClickOnDetroit, Michigan State Police joined the investigation alongside local authorities working the case.
The probe led investigators to a search warrant at Cooper's home in the 1100 block of South Main Street in Adrian's Friendly Village Mobile Home Park. The search, led by the Region of Irish Hills Narcotics Office, a multi-jurisdictional task force run by Michigan State Police in Lenawee and surrounding counties, turned up 800 grams of heroin, 29 grams of fentanyl, 39 grams of cocaine, and eight firearms including handguns, rifles, and a shotgun, per WTOL's earlier reporting. ClickOnDetroit's account of the same search describes the seized heroin as worth over $100,000, along with multiple weapons and a substantial amount of cash. Cooper was arrested during that search.
Charges Escalated After Medical Examiner's Findings
Lenawee County prosecutors initially charged Cooper in February 2025 with eight drug and weapons felonies, according to WTOL. The following month, prosecutors added the charge of delivery of a controlled substance causing death after medical examiner findings confirmed the fentanyl link, the station reported. That count carried steep exposure: under Michigan Compiled Laws § 750.317a, delivering a Schedule 1 or 2 controlled substance that causes a fatal overdose is a Class A felony punishable by life imprisonment or any term of years.
ClickOnDetroit's report lists the fuller charge sheet Cooper faced, including two counts of delivery or manufacturing a controlled substance, maintaining a drug house, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, and four counts of felony firearm.
Guilty Plea Caps Exposure at 15 Years
On Tuesday, Cooper pleaded guilty to manslaughter for delivering the fentanyl that caused Jones's death, along with maintaining a drug house and obstructing police, per ClickOnDetroit. The manslaughter plea significantly reduces his statutory exposure compared to the original drug-induced homicide charge. Under Michigan Compiled Laws § 750.321, manslaughter in Michigan is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison, a fine of up to $7,500, or both.
Cooper is scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2027, and police say he is expected to receive a prison term of at least 11 and one-third years, according to ClickOnDetroit's reporting. Federal court records reviewed via GovInfo indicate an Eric Cooper from Adrian was previously identified in legal proceedings tied to a 2001 violent assault and kidnapping case handled in Lenawee County Circuit Court.
County Funds Opioid Response Amid Statewide Decline
The case has unfolded as Lenawee County ramps up its own response to the opioid crisis. In April, the Lenawee County Board of Commissioners authorized funding not exceeding $1.5 million. Since 2019, the State of Michigan has secured more than $1.6 billion in national opioid settlement agreements from pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and retail pharmacy chains to fund municipal and state recovery programs, per the Detroit Legal News.
Those investments come as statewide numbers trend downward. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported in June that Michigan's overdose death rate declined by 47% since 2021, with projected deaths falling from 3,096 in 2021 to fewer than 1,800 in 2025. For Lenawee County families like Jones's, though, the case underscores that fentanyl-laced drugs continue to claim lives even as the broader trend improves.
