A Warren man accused of supplying carfentanil-laced drugs that killed a Clinton Township resident is now headed to Macomb County Circuit Court, after a judge decided there is enough evidence to keep the case alive. Today, 50-year-old Aron Edwards Jr. was bound over on one count of delivery of a controlled substance causing death, a felony that can carry up to life in prison. The decision came at the end of a preliminary examination, where the court found sufficient evidence to send the case upstairs to the circuit court.
Prosecutors say the case traces back to a fatal overdose on Sept. 2, 2025, at a home on Williamson Street in Clinton Township. According to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, investigators tied Edwards to drugs allegedly laced with carfentanil after 54-year-old Roger Benthal was found dead at the scene. Toxicology testing later detected carfentanil in Benthal’s bloodstream. Edwards was originally arraigned Jan. 16 on the delivery-causing-death charge, and Magistrate Ryan Zemke set his bond at 500,000 dollars cash or surety with a GPS tether required if he is released.
Preliminary exam advances case
The latest court hearing, a preliminary examination, took place today before visiting Judge Charles Berschback in 41B District Court. The judge found probable cause to bind Edwards over to circuit court, according to ClickOnDetroit. Edwards remains in custody for now, and a circuit court arraignment has been scheduled for May 18. The case has been unfolding since Clinton Township officers responded to the Williamson Street address last September.
What happened on Williamson Street
Clinton Township police say they were called to the Williamson Street residence on Sept. 2, 2025, where two people were found unconscious from apparent overdoses. One person was revived, but Benthal was pronounced dead at the scene, according to prosecutors. Toxicology testing later showed carfentanil in Benthal’s system, and prosecutors allege Edwards was the source of the narcotics, as stated in the release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. The county has described the delivery-causing-death count as the most serious charge available under current law based on the evidence so far.
Carfentanil’s danger and the bigger picture
Carfentanil is an ultra-potent fentanyl analog used to sedate large animals, and federal officials warn it can be lethal in extremely small amounts. The DEA estimates that carfentanil is roughly 100 times more potent than fentanyl and about 10,000 times more potent than morphine. The CDC has tracked a sharp increase in deaths tied to fentanyl analogs in recent years. That kind of potency, combined with a growing presence in the street drug supply, often means multiple doses of naloxone are needed to reverse an overdose, which makes cases like this especially fraught.
Legal implications
Under Michigan law, delivery of a controlled substance causing death is treated as a separate offense, punishable by life or any term of years under MCL 750.317a. Court benchbooks explain that to convict under this statute, prosecutors must show that the defendant delivered a Schedule 1 or 2 controlled substance, that the recipient consumed it, and that the use of that substance caused the person’s death. The law does not require proof that the seller intended the death of the user. The same benchbook notes that venue rules and aiding and abetting theories can play significant roles in how these cases are charged and where they are tried, according to the Michigan Courts…