Trial Date For Colts Neck Family Murders Case To Be Set In November

COLTS NECK, NJ — A trial date for the Colts Neck family murders case is expected to be set in November, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Christopher Swendeman said.

Paul Caneiro, 57, of Ocean Township, has been awaiting trial in the case since 2018, and is accused of killing his brother, his brother’s wife, and their children.

According to authorities, Caniero’s brother Keith, Keith’s wife, Jennifer, and their two children were found dead at Keith’s home in Colts Neck on Nov. 20, 2018, when a fire broke out at their home. Keith Caneiro had been shot to death, authorities said.

That fire was discovered a few hours after two fires were started at Paul Caneiro’s home at 27 Tilton Drive in Ocean Township. Though Caneiro’s home was damaged from the fire, Caneiro, his wife Susan, and his two daughters all escaped uninjured.

On Nov. 21, 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 for the deaths of his brother and his brother’s family.

According to Swendeman, Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux intends to set a trial date for Caneiro on Nov. 12, and expects jury selection to begin either in late February or early March.

Last week, Lemieux rejected a request from defense attorneys to extend deadlines for experts to submit reports on DNA evidence being challenged by the defense, the Asbury Park Press reported.

According to the report, Caneiro’s defense first filed to have a hearing challenging the admissibility of DNA evidence in March 2022. Delays in the hearing taking place have been the only thing standing in the way of Caneiro’s trial, the report said.

"This court can't allow experts, whether they are paid or they're doing it on a voluntary basis, to continue to slow down this court's process of getting to a hearing date,'' Lemieux said, according to the report.

If found guilty during his trial, Caneiro could face life in prison.

Each murder charge against Caneiro carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole, and felony murder carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment subject to the “No Early Release Act.”

In addition to the murder charges against Caneiro, prosecutors also charged him with one count of insurance fraud, two counts of aggravated arson, one count of second-degree possession of a weapon (firearm) for an unlawful purpose, one count of third-degree possession of a weapon (knife) for an unlawful purpose, one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (firearm), one count of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (knife), one count of theft, one count of misapplication of entrusted property and two counts of hindering apprehension of oneself.

Related:

• 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