Jury selection begins in the trial of Paul Caneiro, 59, accused of killing his brother Keith, Keith's wife and two children and setting two houses ablaze on Nov. 20, 2018. Prosecutors say financial disputes — including alleged monthly misappropriation and the removal of Paul from a family trust — provided motive. Pretrial fights focused on STRmix DNA analysis and whether police lawfully seized Paul’s hard‑wired security system; the New Jersey Supreme Court recently allowed that seizure. The trial is expected to last several weeks and could carry a life sentence if convicted on the murder charge.
Jury Selection Opens in Paul Caneiro Trial Accused of Killing Brother, Family and Setting Two Fires
Paul Caneiro during a motion hearing before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold, N.J., on June 30. (Thomas P. Costello / Asbury Park Press / USA Today Network via Imagn Images file)
Jury selection begins Monday in the long-awaited criminal trial of Paul Caneiro, 59, who is charged with murder, aggravated arson, theft and related counts in the Nov. 20, 2018 killings of his brother Keith Caneiro and members of Keith's family. Prosecutors say Caneiro set two house fires and killed four relatives to create the appearance that the entire family had been targeted. If convicted on the murder charge, he faces a potential sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
Jennifer Caneiro and her husband, Keith Caneiro. (Keith Caneiro via Facebook)
Case Overview
Authorities say the sequence of events began in the predawn hours at Paul Caneiro's home in Ocean Township, N.J. Emergency crews responded to reports of smoke at 5:01 a.m. and found parts of the house ablaze, along with a red gas can and a charred glove, according to an affidavit. Paul, his wife and two adult daughters escaped and were seen parked nearby.
Firefighters at the scene of the fire at Keith Caneiro's home in Colts Neck, N.J., in 2018. (NBC New York)
About seven hours later, police responded to a second fire at the nearby home of Keith Caneiro, 50, who had been Paul’s business partner. Officers found Keith's body in the front yard; he had been shot once in the back and four times in the head. Inside, firefighters discovered Keith's 11-year-old son, Jesse, and 8-year-old daughter, Sophia, both fatally stabbed; autopsies listed smoke inhalation as a contributing factor. Keith's wife, Jennifer, 45, was found shot in the head and stabbed in the torso.
Caneiro at a hearing in Freehold, N.J., on March 4. (Thomas P. Costello / Asbury Park Press / USA Today Network via Imagn Images file)
Alleged Motive and Financial Disputes
Prosecutors allege a financial motive: court filings and civil suits contend Keith uncovered repeated misappropriation of business funds by Paul and planned to remove him from a family trust and end their business relationship. A 2021 civil complaint filed by the victims' relatives alleges Paul diverted roughly $11,000 per month for personal use and took $90,000 earmarked for the children’s college funds; an indictment also references an alleged $75,000 theft.
The scene at Caneiro's home in Colts Neck, N.J., a day after the fire in 2018. (Tanya Breen / Asbury Park Press / USA Today Network via Imagn Images file)
The brothers had been involved in two businesses together — a pest control company acquired in 2011 and an IT consulting firm Keith founded years earlier — and tensions reportedly escalated in the months before the slayings.
Photos of Keith Caneiro, his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Jesse and Sophia, at a vigil outside Colts Neck Town Hall in 2018. (Thomas P. Costello / Asbury Park Press / USA Today Network via Imagn Images file)
Civil Litigation and Family Claims
The civil case also alleges post-arrest family maneuvering by a third brother, Corey Caneiro, who is accused of helping install himself as trustee of Keith's family trust and gaining access to life-insurance proceeds. The complaint says Corey used those proceeds to purchase a $1.8 million home in Fair Haven; Corey denies the allegations and a lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. The lawsuit seeking unspecified damages remains pending.
Evidence Disputes and Pretrial Rulings
Pretrial proceedings focused on several contested pieces of evidence. The defense challenged the reliability and vetting of STRmix, a DNA interpretation software; a trial judge rejected that challenge. Defense attorneys also argued police improperly seized Paul's hard-wired home security system without a warrant. A trial judge initially suppressed that evidence after finding the garage search unlawful, but the New Jersey Supreme Court recently reversed and allowed the seizure.
According to affidavits cited by prosecutors, footage from the security system showed Paul entering his garage at 1:29 a.m. on the night of the killings and walking toward the recording equipment before the cameras stopped recording at 1:30 a.m. Authorities contend the footage helps establish his movements in the hours leading up to the attacks; Paul has told investigators he thought he had turned the system off earlier because it slowed his Wi-Fi.
Where the Case Stands
Paul Caneiro was arrested three days after the fires on an aggravated arson charge and was later indicted on multiple counts, including murder and theft. His defense team says he maintains his innocence and looks forward to a fair trial after more than seven years of pretrial proceedings. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Former Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni: 'This is one of the most brutal cases that I’ve seen in my experience here.'
Prosecutors and the defense will now present their cases to a jury; how the court treats disputed scientific and electronic evidence could be central to the trial outcome.
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