Prosecutors said two house fires were set to disguise the attacks and delay discovery.
COLTS NECK, N.J. — A Monmouth County jury on Friday found Paul Caneiro guilty of murdering his brother, his sister-in-law and their two children in 2018, then setting fires at two homes in an effort to cover up the killings, authorities said.
The verdict ends a long-running case that began with twin fire scenes and a missing family in a wealthy Monmouth County neighborhood. Prosecutors argued the killings grew out of a collapsing business relationship and claims that Paul Caneiro was taking money from ventures he shared with his younger brother. Caneiro, 59, was convicted of four counts of murder, two counts of aggravated arson and weapons charges. He faces a possible life prison term when a judge sentences him on May 12.
Emergency calls came in on Nov. 20, 2018, sending firefighters and police to two separate houses connected to the Caneiro family. One blaze burned at a large home in Colts Neck. Another fire was reported at Paul Caneiro’s home in Ocean Township, where his wife and children escaped without injury. At the Colts Neck scene, responders found Keith Caneiro, 50, outside the burning home, dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Inside, investigators later determined that Keith’s wife, Jennifer Caneiro, 45, had been stabbed and shot, and the couple’s children, Jesse, 11, and Sophia, 8, were stabbed. Prosecutors told jurors the killings happened while the family slept, and that the fires were meant to make it look like someone targeted both households.
Jurors deliberated for about five hours before returning guilty verdicts on the major counts, according to the court record described in public reports. Prosecutors said the case centered on a breach between brothers who once worked closely together. They told the jury that Keith Caneiro discovered money missing from their businesses and from him personally, and that the discovery sparked a confrontation that turned deadly. The brothers had run a computer systems company and a pest control business, prosecutors said. Investigators also pointed to the second fire at Paul Caneiro’s home as part of a plan to confuse the timeline and create a false picture of a wider attack, authorities said. The defendant did not admit guilt at trial, and his lawyer urged jurors to reject the state’s theory.
Defense attorney Monika Mastellone argued that investigators locked onto her client early and failed to fully examine other leads. In closing arguments, she said her client did not kill anyone and described a close relationship within the family. The brothers, she told jurors, “deeply loved each other and were best friends,” and she said Paul Caneiro would not harm the children, whom he “cherished and adored.” Mastellone also criticized what she called a narrow investigation, saying police did not pursue other possible suspects. She pointed to a third Caneiro brother and said investigators did not obtain a DNA sample from him, even though she argued he could have gained financially from Keith Caneiro’s death. That brother denied involvement, and prosecutors said they presented the evidence that tied Paul Caneiro to the crimes.
Prosecutors highlighted a phone call Keith Caneiro made the day before the killings as they laid out motive and opportunity. They said Keith Caneiro called Paul Caneiro to demand information about a life insurance trust account, framing the call as a sign of rising tension over finances. The state also confronted defense claims about people seen near the Colts Neck home before emergency crews arrived. Mastellone suggested that two men reported by neighbors could have been involved. Prosecutors countered that the men were first responders and said neighbors were mistaken about the timing of what they saw. The jury ultimately accepted the state’s account of the night, convicting Caneiro across the key charges linked to the deaths and the fires.
The case moved slowly to trial, and court fights over what evidence the jury could hear contributed to the delay. Proceedings were postponed first during the coronavirus pandemic, then in later years as lawyers argued over contested evidence and the scope of testimony, including disputes that reached New Jersey’s highest court. When the trial finally began, prosecutors presented a narrative of planning and concealment, saying the defendant attacked the family in the middle of the night and then tried to erase traces by igniting fires. The defense pressed for doubt, saying the state’s theory left gaps and that investigators should have broadened their focus. After weeks of testimony, the panel returned a verdict that cleared the way for sentencing.
Outside the courthouse, the decision carried weight in a county that had followed the case from the start, when early reports described a deadly house fire and a missing family. The twin fires drew intense attention because they appeared connected and because children were among the victims. Officials have described the investigation as complex, involving two scenes, arson evidence and a timeline that prosecutors said was deliberately muddied. The guilty verdict means the case now shifts to sentencing, where lawyers are expected to argue over punishment and the judge will weigh the convictions that include aggravated arson and multiple murders. Caneiro remains exposed to a life term under New Jersey law, prosecutors said.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 12, and the judge will decide the final prison term after hearing from prosecutors, the defense and any victim-impact statements. Caneiro’s convictions include four murders tied to one night in 2018 and arson counts tied to fires at both brothers’ homes. The verdict stands as of Friday night, and the next major milestone is the May sentencing hearing in Monmouth County.
Author note: Last updated February 15, 2026.