A jury has found a Bolingbrook man guilty of drug-induced homicide in the death of a 27-year-old man from Aurora, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
According to statements presented in court by Assistant State’s Attorneys Jake G. Matekaitis and Ryan M. Ahern, Niko Ramirez, 27, had communicated on Nov. 25 and 26, 2022, with Eric L. Jones, 54, of Bolingbrook, in order to arrange to purchase drugs, a news release this week from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
On Nov. 26 at around 7:30 p.m., Jones delivered 10 fentanyl pills to Ramirez, who ingested one of the pills later that evening at his home, officials said.
A roommate then found Ramirez dead the following morning and called 911, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office. The Aurora Police Department and the Kane County Coroner’s Office responded to his home on the 500 block of Hartford Avenue in Aurora to begin an investigation. An autopsy ultimately determined that he had died from fentanyl intoxication, according to the release.
The investigation, which was led by Aurora Police Department Det. Darrell Moore, ended on Nov. 4, 2024, when Jones was arrested in Elgin by members of the United States Marshal’s Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, the news release said. He was ultimately found guilty by a jury of drug-induced homicide, a Class X felony, officials said.
Jones remains in custody at the Kane County jail. His next court appearance is set for April 2 for motions and sentencing, the State’s Attorney’s Office said. He faces a sentence of between six and 30 years in state prison, according to the release.
