Judge Rules On Caneiro Release In Colts Neck Slayings, Trial Date Set

COLTS NECK, NJ — A Monmouth County man will remain behind bars for at least four more months after a judge ruled against releasing him before trial on Friday on charges accusing him of killing his brother and the brother's family in 2018.

The trial of Paul Caneiro, 58, of Ocean Township, is scheduled to begin Jan. 5, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Patch.

Jury selection for the trial was set to begin on Monday, Sept. 8, but was pushed back to January when the state Supreme Court agreed to hear prosecutors' appeal on one of Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux's rulings on evidence use in the case.

According to a report from the Asbury Park Press, Caneiro's attorney, Monika Mastellone, argued for Caneiro's release by arguing that a time limit to keep Caneiro in jail without bail under the state’s bail reform law was set to expire on Sept. 14.

In the Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2017, it’s stated that a defendant must go to trial within 180 days of an indictment or be released from jail, the report said, though under some circumstances, that period can extend to 200 days.

"It is not just to hold someone for seven years without a release (hearing)," Mastellone said.

During Friday’s hearing, the report said Christopher Decker, deputy first assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, argued that the 200-day period can be extended further when the court can’t proceed to trial.

Decker argued that this would be the case with Caneiro’s trial, because the state Supreme Court recently took over jurisdiction of the matter by agreeing to hear the appeal of one of Lemieux’s rulings to suppress evidence.

In his written ruling, the report said Lemieux agreed with Decker and ruled that the prosecutor’s appeal was “a valid exercise and preservation of appellate rights on suppression ruling, not a concession of unreadiness.”

Caneiro has been awaiting trial in his case since 2018, when he was accused of killing his brother, his brother’s wife, and their two children.

On Nov. 20, 2018, Caneiro’s brother, Keith, Keith's wife, Jennifer, and their two children were found dead at Keith’s home in Colts Neck after a fire broke out at their house. Once authorities arrived at the scene, they found that Keith Caneiro had been shot to death.

The fire at Keith Caneiro’s home was discovered a few hours after two fires were started at Paul Caneiro’s home in Ocean Township. Paul Caneiro, his wife, Susan, and their two daughters all escaped uninjured from the fire.

A day after the fire at Keith Caneiro’s home, Paul Caneiro was taken into custody by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and accused of setting his own home on fire.

He would later be charged with four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree felony murder, amongst other charges, in connection with the deaths of his brother and his brother’s family.

If Caneiro is found guilty during his trial, he could face life in prison, as each murder charge against him carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

In addition, felony murder carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, subject to the “No Early Release Act.”

Previous Coverage

• DNA Evidence Hearing In Colts Neck Family Murders Case Begins: Report
• Trial Date For Colts Neck Family Murders Case To Be Set In November
• The Colts Neck Quadruple Murder: A Timeline Of Events
• Colts Neck Fire Was Quadruple Homicide, Family 'Targeted:' MCPO
• Brother's Lawyer In Colts Neck Murders: 'He's Devastated'
• 20 Stunning New Allegations In Colts Neck Caneiro Murder Case