NJ - Multiple Deaths in Mansion Fire, Monmouth County, Colts Neck, 20 Nov 2018 *Arrest* #2

[Niner]

Wednesday, April 2nd:
*Motion Hearing (@ am ET) – NJ – Keith Martin Caneiro (50), his wife Jennifer Karidis Caneiro (45) & 2 children Jesse (11) & Sophia (8) (Nov. 20, 2018, Colt’s Neck; died prior to fire @ home) – *Paul Jay Caneiro (51/now 56) (bro) arrested (11/20/18), charged (11/29/18), indicted (2/25/19) & arraigned (3/18/19) on 4 counts of murder, 2 counts of felony murder, 2 counts of aggravated arson, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, possession of a knife for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a knife, theft, misapplication of entrusted property & 2 counts of hindering apprehension. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. Monmouth County
*Indicted (7/1/19) & arraigned (3/18/19) with 2nd degree insurance fraud (from 11/6/12 to 7/9/19). Plead not guilty.
Previously charge with 2 counts of 2nd degree aggravated arson (in connection to fire set @ his Ocean Township home on the same day before fire in Colt’s Neck) & with 4 counts of murder, with possession of a firearm & possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. Paul Caneiro allegedly stole $78K from Keith & Jennifer Caneiro. He stole the money sometime between January 2017 & the day of the murders.
Trial was set to begin on 6/3/24 was cancelled & reset on 3/31/25 reset to 5/19/25 with jury selection starting & trial to begin on 6/2/25. (should take about 4 weeks)
Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley, presiding. Monmouth County Prosecutor Deputy First assistant Christopher Decker & Nicole Wallace. Public defender’s office defense attorney W. Michael Wicke & Victoria Howard.
For STRMix motion – Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux presiding. Deputy 1st Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Decker & 1st Assistant Nicole Wallace & Defense attorneys Monika Masttellone & Victoria Howard.
Court hearing from 11/28/18 thru 12/9/24 reference post #975 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...-colts-neck-20-nov-2018-arrest.400517/page-49
12/16/24 Update: Caneiro told a judge Monday he will go to trial in the murders of four family members & risk a possible sentence of life without the possibility of parole, plus 211.5 years in prison if he is convicted of all 16 charges against him. Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux asked Caneiro some questions. The colloquy took place during a procedure known as plea cutoff, which is when all plea negotiations in a criminal case cease & a defendant enunciates his intention to go to trial & reject the final plea offer extended to him. At the conclusion of the colloquy, Lemieux set Caneiro's trial date for 3/31/25. Before the plea cutoff colloquy, a final defense witness testified at the conclusion of a more than three-week pretrial hearing on the admissibility of that DNA evidence. Much of DNA expert Keith Inman's testimony focused on problems with using probabilistic genotyping to analyze DNA from related individuals. Inman said he saw nothing to indicate the STRmix software was tested by the two labs that used it to handle the DNA evidence in the Caneiro case to ensure it could accurately reach conclusions about DNA of related individuals. Lemieux's decision will have statewide implications for the use of STRmix. Attorneys are scheduled to sum up their arguments for and against the admissibility of the STRmix DNA evidence on Friday, 12/20/24. The challenge to the STRmix software represents the first time a court in New Jersey will rule on its validity.
12/20/24 Update: While Caneiro’s defense lawyers & experts have argued that the software hasn’t been proved reliable in the same way “safety-critical” systems used in cars & airplanes are — and that it could produce false results that could help wrongfully convict someone — prosecutors have argued that STRmix has been tested & tried in labs & courts across the country. Traditional DNA analysis was largely limited to samples that contained genetic material from a couple of people, said Monica Ghannam, a forensic scientist who testified in the Caneiro hearing, according to a local newspaper, the Asbury Park Press. Using STRmix, she testified, analysts can evaluate mixtures with DNA from four people, the newspaper reported. A judge is expected to weigh in on the matter in February. Regardless of the outcome, said Marc Canellas, a public defender in Maryland who specializes in forensics & has handled cases that involve STRmix, the case highlights the long-standing need for stricter rules in an industry that can have accreditation standards but isn’t overseen by a regulatory authority.
1/24/25 Update: Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux, the county's assignment judge, had previously set March 31 as the date jury selection would begin for Caneiro on adjourned the case for almost two months because the defendant now has a new lead attorney. But as a result of reassignments in the Public Defender's Office in Monmouth County, a new attorney Monika Mastellone was recently assigned as Caneiro's lead counsel & she went before Judge Lemieux Friday 1/24/25 to ask that the trial be postponed. Mastellone asked for an adjournment of the trial [March 31] until sometime in June. Judge Lemieux, noting the case is now more than six years old, granted her a little less time. The judge said jury selection for Caneiro's trial will now start on 5/19/25 & testimony will begin on 6/2/25. Joshua Hood, deputy public defender for Monmouth County, said in a statement the late change was due to restructuring necessitated by the sudden death in September of Van Lane, who as deputy public defender, headed the Public Defender's office in Monmouth County. Previously, Michael Wicke of the Public Defender's Office had been Caneiro's lead attorney. The defense team's second chair, Victoria Howard, remains on the case. Christopher Decker, deputy first assistant Monmouth County prosecutor who will present the state's case along with Assistant Prosecutor Nicole Wallace, said the state stands ready to go to trial at any time. Judge Lemieux late last year held the hearing on the admissibility of the DNA evidence & said he will issue his ruling on it by the end of February.
1/24/25 Update: Caneiro's defense attorneys are now asking a judge to move the case out of Monmouth County. At a pretrial conference Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux, Monmouth County's assignment judge, said he was informed by defense attorneys for Caneiro they intend to file a motion to change the venue of the trial. Judge Lemieux instructed the defense attorneys to file the motion by 3/7/25 & said he will hold a hearing on the request on 4/2/25. The request comes within weeks of the replacement of Caneiro's lead attorney with a different attorney from the Public Defender's Office. At a conference at the end of January, the new attorney, Monika Mastellone, advised Lemieux she would likely be filing some pretrial motions. Judge Lemiuex at that conference scheduled jury selection for Caneiro's trial to begin on 5/19/25, pushing back a 3/31/25 start at Mastellone's request. The judge said then that testimony in the trial would start on 6/2/25.
3/11/25 Update: Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux issued a 212-page ruling saying DNA evidence analyzed with a computer software program known as STRmix can be used in the trial of Caneiro.

Thread #1

 

[cass523]

Video April 3

Paul Caneiro defense argues for quadrupal murder trial be moved out of Monmouth

 

[cass523]

FREEHOLD - Citing hundreds of news articles about the quadruple murder case against Paul Caneiro and thousands of inflammatory comments on social media about him, a defense attorney for the Ocean Township man asked a judge Wednesday to move his upcoming trial out of Monmouth County to ensure the defendant gets a fair trial.

Monika Mastellone of the Public Defender's Office argued before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux, Monmouth County's assignment judge, that the pretrial publicity surrounding Caneiro and the 2018 killings in Colts Neck of his brother, sister-in-law and young niece and nephew makes it necessary to move his trial to another county.

Mastellone cited what she said was a "barrage'' of news articles and thousands of comments on social media about the case and 58-year-old Caneiro.

The defense attorney said a quick Google search on the case in recent weeks immediately yielded 474 news articles and thousands of comments on social media about the case.

"There were hardly, if any, comments where people are advocating for Mr. Caneiro's innocence,'' Mastellone said. "Anyone who reads or knows or learns about this case is expressing the utmost disdain and hatred and vitriol for Mr. Caneiro and this case and his defense.''

Mastellone went on to read some of the comments, including, "What a monster,'' "This guy should hang,'' "Pile of garbage,'' "Pure evil,'' and "Hell is too good for him.''

She argued that the comments on social media show how news coverage of the case has influenced the sentiments of the public.

"In present day, we don't have to rely on speculation,'' Mastellone said. "In the present day, we have social media. We have the people themselves expressing how they feel on the worldwide web.''

Nicole Wallace, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, acknowledged the case has received widespread media attention, but said it is "what you would have expected in a a quadruple homicide of this nature.''

Putting the coverage in perspective, she said the news articles have appeared in the course of more than six years since the murders took place, with much of the reporting taking place in the early stages of the case, in 2018 and 2019.

Wallace said the news coverage has been "fact-based'' and not inflammatory.

The assistant prosecutor said it is unknown how widely read the comments on social media are, who is making the comments and whether those people are even from Monmouth County and eligible to serve on a jury.
Mastellone contended that while people outside Monmouth County are among those reading the news coverage and comments, it is the Monmouth County residents who care most about the Caneiro case.

"I think it would be a leap to say that,'' Wallace countered said.

Anyone potentially prejudiced by the pretrial publicity surrounding the case can be excluded from jury service through voir dire, the process of questioning potential jurors during jury selection, Wallace argued. (continued)

https://www.app.com/story/news/loca...e-for-paul-caneiros-murder-trial/82695471007/

 

[Niner]

FREEHOLD - Citing hundreds of news articles about the quadruple murder case against Paul Caneiro and thousands of inflammatory comments on social media about him, a defense attorney for the Ocean Township man asked a judge Wednesday to move his upcoming trial out of Monmouth County to ensure the defendant gets a fair trial.

Monika Mastellone of the Public Defender's Office argued before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux, Monmouth County's assignment judge, that the pretrial publicity surrounding Caneiro and the 2018 killings in Colts Neck of his brother, sister-in-law and young niece and nephew makes it necessary to move his trial to another county.

Mastellone cited what she said was a "barrage'' of news articles and thousands of comments on social media about the case and 58-year-old Caneiro.

The defense attorney said a quick Google search on the case in recent weeks immediately yielded 474 news articles and thousands of comments on social media about the case.

"There were hardly, if any, comments where people are advocating for Mr. Caneiro's innocence,'' Mastellone said. "Anyone who reads or knows or learns about this case is expressing the utmost disdain and hatred and vitriol for Mr. Caneiro and this case and his defense.''

Mastellone went on to read some of the comments, including, "What a monster,'' "This guy should hang,'' "Pile of garbage,'' "Pure evil,'' and "Hell is too good for him.''

She argued that the comments on social media show how news coverage of the case has influenced the sentiments of the public.

"In present day, we don't have to rely on speculation,'' Mastellone said. "In the present day, we have social media. We have the people themselves expressing how they feel on the worldwide web.''

Nicole Wallace, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, acknowledged the case has received widespread media attention, but said it is "what you would have expected in a a quadruple homicide of this nature.''

Putting the coverage in perspective, she said the news articles have appeared in the course of more than six years since the murders took place, with much of the reporting taking place in the early stages of the case, in 2018 and 2019.

Wallace said the news coverage has been "fact-based'' and not inflammatory.

The assistant prosecutor said it is unknown how widely read the comments on social media are, who is making the comments and whether those people are even from Monmouth County and eligible to serve on a jury.
Mastellone contended that while people outside Monmouth County are among those reading the news coverage and comments, it is the Monmouth County residents who care most about the Caneiro case.

"I think it would be a leap to say that,'' Wallace countered said.

Anyone potentially prejudiced by the pretrial publicity surrounding the case can be excluded from jury service through voir dire, the process of questioning potential jurors during jury selection, Wallace argued. (continued)

https://www.app.com/story/news/loca...e-for-paul-caneiros-murder-trial/82695471007/

with this last sentence in the article:

Judge Lemieux said he hopes to render a decision on the defense motion by Friday, [4/4/25].

 

[Seattle1]

FREEHOLD - Citing hundreds of news articles about the quadruple murder case against Paul Caneiro

^^rsbm

Ha -- we know this statement is not true since 2018, and that's going on seven years ago!

 

[cass523]

No media crusade against Paul Caneiro, so judge keeps family murder trial in Monmouth​

KEY POINTS:

• A Monmouth County judge ruled against moving Paul Caneiro's murder trial, stating pretrial publicity hasn't tainted the jury pool.
• The judge acknowledged extensive news coverage but deemed it factual and not inflammatory, with most occurring in 2018 and 2019.
• While concerned about negative social media comments, the judge found them unreliable and not reflective of the entire county's sentiment.

FREEHOLD -- Monmouth County's top judge has denied Paul Caneiro's request to move his upcoming quadruple murder trial to another county, saying the defendant has not shown that extensive pretrial publicity surrounding his case has turned the county's entire pool of potential jurors against him.

In a 50-page ruling released late Friday, Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux, the county's assignment judge, acknowledged the existence of almost 500 news articles about the Caneiro murder case, but said the reporting has been fact-based and not inflammatory, with most of it occurring in 2018 and 2019, soon after the deaths of Caneiro's four family members and the arson fire that consumed the victims' Colts Neck mansion.

While separately acknowledging he is concerned about the "vitriol'' expressed in online social media comments about Caneiro since the killings, Lemieux said it is impossible to say which comments came from Monmouth County residents and inappropriate to say they reflect the sentiments of the county's entire jury pool.

Lemieux, in his ruling, acknowledged the existence of social media commenters who "assume the defendant's guilt and wish him harm," but said they do not carry the same weight as if a newspaper published similarly inflammatory statements.

"Most of those comments are from 2018 and 2019, and anonymous comments are not a reliable source of journalism," Lemieux wrote. "They do not have the same perceived authority as a newspaper's pronouncement, and there is no reason to give them the same weight."

Regarding the anonymous social media comments, Lemieux wrote, "What cannot be ascertained is the individual's identity, the likelihood that any potential juror is wading through anonymous, frequently misspelled and grammatically flawed comments, and whether anyone views these as persuasive or authoritative, or whether they are even read or retained. Many online comments are simply anonymous individuals shouting into the void."

The judge distinguished the Caneiro case from other high-profile murder cases in New Jersey that generated inflammatory and prejudicial news coverage, such as that of Jesse Timmendequas, whose 1994 rape and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka inspired Megan's Law.

"This case is readily distinguishable," Lemieux wrote. "There are no media outlets calling the Defendant any names. The Defendant has maintained his innocence, and no media outlet has stated that the Defendant has given anything close to an admission. The media has not called for his death. No Monmouth County state legislators commented on Defendant's guilt or suggested reinstating the death penalty."

The Asbury Park Press, which covers Monmouth and Ocean counties, "was one of the more frequent publishers surrounding this case," publishing 88 articles about the Caneiro murders, the judge said.

"This court has specifically reviewed all the Asbury Park Press articles and finds them to be factual, and not a 'crusade' against the Defendant," Lemieux wrote.

"The Asbury Park Press has provided responsible reporting of the case without editorializing, pronouncing personal views or engaging in name-calling of this Defendant," the judge wrote. "Their coverage has been fair and consistent with what would be expected for pretrial publicity of an alleged multiple homicide. While coverage exists over the past six years, there is not a barrage inciting community hostility."

The judge said the online version of the Asbury Park Press accounts for much of its subscriber and reader base, "with roughly 1.4 to 1.95 million unique device visits each month." He said those figures "don't necessarily mean individual readers, as a reader may have more than one device."
(continued)

https://www.app.com/story/news/loca...trial-judge-rejects-venue-change/82979747007/

 

[Niner]

I have 5/19/25 coming up next for jury selection. I have not seen any articles mentioned a court date before than. If anyone sees one - please post! I am going to move him to 5/19/25.

TIA if you find anything different!

 

[cass523]

Pretrial hearing provides sneak peek of Paul Caneiro's trial in Colts Neck family murders​

FREEHOLD - When a fire marshal responded to a house fire on Tilton Drive in Ocean Township in the early morning of Nov. 20, 2018, one of the first things he did was locate the homeowner and ask him some routine questions.

The homeowner, Paul Caneiro, told Ocean Township Fire Marshal Craig Flannigan his home's fire alarm awakened him about 5 a.m., so he got his wife and two daughters out of the house and then moved his car from the garage, Flannigan told a judge last week.

Caneiro told the fire marshal he had been home all night, having gone to sleep in the spare bedroom at 6 p.m. the night before, and awakening twice - once to take some medicine and a second time to work on his computer before going back to bed, Flannigan said at a hearing before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux. (Continued and a video)

https://www.app.com/story/news/loca...iros-trial-in-colts-neck-murders/82695637007/

 

[Niner]

Pretrial hearing provides sneak peek of Paul Caneiro's trial in Colts Neck family murders​

FREEHOLD - When a fire marshal responded to a house fire on Tilton Drive in Ocean Township in the early morning of Nov. 20, 2018, one of the first things he did was locate the homeowner and ask him some routine questions.

The homeowner, Paul Caneiro, told Ocean Township Fire Marshal Craig Flannigan his home's fire alarm awakened him about 5 a.m., so he got his wife and two daughters out of the house and then moved his car from the garage, Flannigan told a judge last week.

Caneiro told the fire marshal he had been home all night, having gone to sleep in the spare bedroom at 6 p.m. the night before, and awakening twice - once to take some medicine and a second time to work on his computer before going back to bed, Flannigan said at a hearing before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux. (Continued and a video)

https://www.app.com/story/news/loca...iros-trial-in-colts-neck-murders/82695637007/

ACK!! Need a subscription to read this!

Does it say what is coming next? Jury selection on 5/19/25?? TIA!

edited - Never mind - found an article I could read. So it looks like trial has been postponed until 9/8.
I guess maybe a hearing on 5/19/25 instead.

edited again - from article:
Jury selection for Paul Caneiro's trial was scheduled to begin next month. But Lemieux last week granted a request from the defense for a postponement. Lemieux rescheduled the trial for Sept. 8.

 

[cass523]

Paul Caneiro's attorney asks judge to exclude key evidence from his quadruple murder trial​

FREEHOLD With his trial just months away, Paul Caneiro's defense attorney is now asking a judge to throw out most of the key evidence in the quadruple murder and double arson case against her client.

Monika Mastellone has filed motions seeking to bar the state's arson expert from testifying at the 58-year-old Ocean Township man's trial and to exclude ballistic and motive evidence from being introduced to the jury, Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemeiux revealed at a conference May 8.

Mastellone also has filed motions to suppress "evidence seized with an over-broad warrant,'' and other evidence seized without a warrant, said Lemieux, Monmouth County's assignment judge.

Lemieux said the evidence seized without a warrant is a DVR security system, taken from Caneiro's garage with the defendant's consent.

Footage from the DVR system, played in court during pretrial proceedings last month, showed Caneiro walking up to the camera at 1:29 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2018, just before power to the surveillance system was cut.

Some of the evidence seized by detectives executing the search warrant at Caneiro's home included blood-stained jeans, a bloody latex glove, a 9mm Sig Sauer firearm and a 9mm bullet tucked in a fold of clothing, according to police documents. Analysis of the bloody items revealed mixtures of the defendant's DNA with that of his niece and nephew, according to prosecutors.

Detectives also found Caneiro's passport in a backpack in one of his cars.

Lemieux said the evidence seized without a warrant is a DVR security system, taken from Caneiro's garage with the defendant's consent.

Footage from the DVR system, played in court during pretrial proceedings last month, showed Caneiro walking up to the camera at 1:29 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2018, just before power to the surveillance system was cut.

Paul Caneiro told investigators he was home sleeping from 6 p.m. the night before and never left his house, although surveillance footage from neighboring homes showed his sport-utility vehicle leaving his driveway at 2:07 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2018, the same day his brother, sister-in-law and the couple's two children were slain.

Lemieux gave prosecutors until May 28 to respond to the defense attorney's motions to exclude the ballistics evidence, the evidence seized pursuant to the search warrant and footage from the DVR security system. The judge scheduled hearings on those motions for June 3.

Lemieux directed prosecutors to respond to the defense motions seeking to exclude testimony of the arson expert and evidence of a financial crimes motive by June 5. He scheduled hearings on those motions for June 10.

Caneiro's trial date has been pushed back multiple times. Jury selection for the trial is now scheduled to begin Sept. 8.

(I did not post the entire article, just the new info)

Paul Caneiro's attorney asks judge to exclude key evidence from his quadruple murder trial

 

[cass523]

ACK!! Need a subscription to read this!

Does it say what is coming next? Jury selection on 5/19/25?? TIA!

edited - Never mind - found an article I could read. So it looks like trial has been postponed until 9/8.
I guess maybe a hearing on 5/19/25 instead.

edited again - from article:
Jury selection for Paul Caneiro's trial was scheduled to begin next month. But Lemieux last week granted a request from the defense for a postponement. Lemieux rescheduled the trial for Sept. 8.

My apologies Niner. I just read this now. I need to check in more often, I would have posted it in full

 

[Niner]

My apologies Niner. I just read this now. I need to check in more often, I would have posted it in full

No apology necessary! Thanks for all the info on hearing dates!