The motive for Paul Caneiro to slaughter his brother’s family while setting fire to their New Jersey home can be summed up in a phone conversation prior to the slayings, according to prosecutors who delivered their summations Thursday in the ongoing murder trial.
Caneiro, formerly of Tottenville, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges, stemming from the 2018 slayings that played out inside the victims’ Colts Neck mansion. The victims also had ties to Staten Island.
In the audio played Thursday for jurors in Monmouth County Superior Court, the defendant’s late brother, Keith Caneiro, 50, can be heard arguing with Paul about missing funds from a TD bank account.
“I need to know where that money went,” said Keith Caneiro, whose voice grew increasingly frantic as the conversation progressed. “Give me the f— login Paul. I need to see it now Paul!”
The contentious exchange came around the same time Keith had discovered Paul had been stealing from his life insurance trust fund, which Keith had set up for his children, prosecutors allege. The brothers were in business together and were seemingly at odds over other financial matters as well, according to text exchanges.
The trial proceedings, which are approaching 20 days, have included horrific autopsy photos, ballistics reports and DNA experts, in addition to heart-wrenching testimonies from friends, family and acquaintances of everyone involved in the case.
The case is being heard by Judge Marc C. Lemieux in Monmouth County Superior Court. Following summations Thursday, Lemieux delivered his final instructions for the jury.
Deliberations remained ongoing Thursday afternoon.
Financial motives, authorities allege
In the aftermath of the murders, the victims were identified as Keith Caneiro, his wife Jennifer, 45, and their kids Jesse, 11, and Sophia, 8.
In regard to an alleged motive, prosecutors have cited Paul Caneiro’s financial problems. On Thursday, they pointed to bank records and defaulted payments indicating that, despite his home in South Jersey and multiple Porsches in the driveway, he was having financial difficulties.
During summations Thursday, the prosecution said that by stealing from Keith Caneiro’s life insurance trust fund, he was actually stealing from his niece and nephew.
“While his niece and nephew were swimming in his backyard, he was stealing from them,“ said Monmouth County First Deputy Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Decker.
Paul Caneiro also knew that he stood to benefit from Keith Caneiro’s $3 million life insurance policy, in the event that his brother and sister-in-law both die, prosecutors have argued.
“The person responsible for inflicting those moments of terror, in the dark on children who trusted him — God knows what was said in those moments — was Paul Caneiro,” said Decker.
Victims’ final, horrific moments
This Dec. 2, 2018 photo shows the victims’ home in Holmdel, New Jersey, weeks after it was set ablaze by their killer.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for
Prosecutors, in their closing arguments, re-visited what they believe happened in the victims’ final moments.
First, the house went black when an intruder cut the power. Footage viewed by the jury showed an unidentified, gloved intruder outside the home fiddling with a power source just prior to the outage.
In surveying the crime scene, investigators found Keith Caneiro shot multiple times, including a cluster of wounds in the head and neck area.
Evidence suggested Jennifer was jolted out of bed that night by the sound of gunshots. Moments later she was killed.
Jesse sustained a gunshot wound to the face. His body was found feet from an exit point. When his autopsy photos were presented to the jury last week, the defendant became emotional, NJ.com reported.
Sophia died of stab wounds and smoke inhalation. Based on the evidence, said prosecutors, she was running frantically through the house in her final moments, passing by her brother and mother who also were dying.
Defense questions investigation
Defense attorney Monika Mastellone has questioned during the trial why a third brother, Corey Caneiro, was never considered a suspect by police.
Mastellone also provided evidence surrounding an iPad belonging to one of the victims which raised questions about the case against her client, NJ.com reported.