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!

 

[Niner]

Tuesday, June 3rd:
*Motions 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 57) (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.
Jury selection was set to begin on 5/19/25 was cancelled & continued on 9/8/25.
Trial was set to begin on 6/2/25 now continued on 9/8/25 after jury selection. (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.
Court hearing from 11/28/18 thru 12/20/24 reference post #991 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...-colts-neck-20-nov-2018-arrest.400517/page-50
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. Next motions hearing on 4/2/25 re change of venue.
4/2/25 Update: Monika Mastellone of the Public Defender's Office argued before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux that the pretrial publicity surrounding Caneiro & the 2018 killings in Colts Neck of his brother, sister-in-law & 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 & thousands of comments on social media about the case and 58-year-old Caneiro. 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 & 2019. Wallace said the news coverage has been "fact-based'' & not inflammatory. That jury selection is slated to begin 5/19/25, with the trial expected to start in June. Judge Lemieux said he hopes to render a decision on the defense motion by Friday, 4/4/25.
4/4/25 Update: Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux (denied) acknowledged the existence of almost 500 news articles about the Caneiro murder case, but said the reporting has been fact-based & not inflammatory, with most of it occurring in 2018 & 2019, soon after the deaths of Caneiro's four family members & the arson fire that consumed the victims' Colts Neck mansion. The 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 & not inflammatory, with most occurring in 2018 & 2019. While concerned about negative social media comments, the judge found them unreliable & not reflective of the entire county's sentiment. Next jury selection begins on 5/19/25.
4/4/25 Update: At this hearing in advance of Caneiro's trial, prosecutors called witnesses to testify about statements the defendant made to emergency personnel when they responded to the fire on Tilton Drive. Also called to testify were police witnesses who reviewed surveillance footage from the vicinities of the defendant's home in Ocean Township & his brother's mansion in Colts Neck during the time frames in question. Prosecutors played the surveillance footage, garnered from various locations & different camera angles, during the hearing. Witnesses: Ocean Township Fire Marshal Craig Flannigan. Ocean Township Officer David Marino. Lead Ocean Township Lead detective Brady. Detective Weisbrot. Some of the police officers who responded to the Ocean Township fire had body-camera video of their encounters with Caneiro outside his home. The video, also played last week in court, showed Caneiro out in the street in shorts and shoeless after escaping the fire. Much of the dialogue on the police body-camera videos was difficult to decipher and mostly consisted of officers collecting pedigree information from the fire victims. Judge Lemieux will decide how much detectives will be allowed to narrate what they believe to be on the grainy surveillance videos when the case goes before a jury. Defense attorney Monika Mastellone asked the judge to place limits on the testimony of detectives & to leave it to the jury to decipher what is on the footage rather than allowing detectives to assert it is Caneiro's vehicle on all of the videos. Lemieux also will rule on the admissibility of statements the defendant made to emergency personnel who responded to the fire at his home. 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 9/8/25.
5/8/25 Update: Defense attorney Monika Mastellone has filed motions seeking to bar the state's arson expert from testifying at Caneiro's trial & to exclude ballistic & 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 Judge Lemieux. Judge Lemieux said the evidence seized without a warrant is a DVR security system, taken from Caneiro's garage with the defendant's consent. Judge Lemieux gave prosecutors until 5/28/25 to respond to the defense attorney's motions to exclude the ballistics evidence, the evidence seized pursuant to the search warrant & footage from the DVR security system. The judge scheduled hearings on those motions for 6/3/25. Judge Lemieux directed prosecutors to respond to the defense motions seeking to exclude testimony of the arson expert & evidence of a financial crimes motive by 6/5/25. He scheduled hearings on those motions for 6/10/25. Caneiro's trial date has been pushed back multiple times. Jury selection for the trial is now scheduled to begin on 9/8/25.

 

[cass523]

Colts Neck murders: lawyer wants evidence from Paul Caneiro's phone, computers thrown out​

FREEHOLD - In the latest in a string of pretrial hearings, Paul Caneiro's defense attorney added data from her client's cell phone and other electronic devices to the list of evidence she wants excluded from his upcoming trial in the 2018 murders of four family members.

Monika Mastellone of the Public Defender's Office argued June 4 before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux that all evidence collected from Caneiro's cell phone, Apple watch, iPad and laptop should be suppressed because the warrants granting investigators permission to search those devices were overly broad and gave them unfettered access to all the data contained on them.

That included 10 years of photographs, text messages and information about personal appointments in his calendar, Mastellone said.

"Similar to a home, a phone contains the most intimate information that exists about a person,'' Mastellone said.

"Whether Mr. Caneiro took a photograph of his dog in 2014 has nothing to do with the crimes they are investigating,'' Mastellone argued.

In pretrial hearings June 3, Caneiro's defense team also asked Lemieux to suppress evidence from a home security system taken from the garage at the defendant's Ocean Township home and to bar the state's ballistics expert from testifying at the trial.

Lemieux has not yet ruled on the motions. In a small win for the defense, the judge said he will hold a hearing, beginning June 30, to allow the ballistics expert to explain how he reached his conclusions, before deciding that issue.

Mastellone, in arguing that everything found on Caneiro's electronic devices be excluded from the trial, did not reveal what incriminating evidence may have been contained on them.

But Nicole Wallace, an assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, said because the defendant and one of the victims were brothers and business partners, it was reasonable for investigators to think the phone would contain communications between the two and reveal information about the motive for and planning of the murders.

Lemieux did not rule on Mastellone's motion to suppress everything derived from the electronic devices, but indicated he may consider limiting how far back in time investigators can go on the phones and other devices.

Wallace argued all of the evidence from the devices should be allowed at trial, but in the alternative, she asked the judge to allow any data going back to January of 2017 - which is when Caneiro is charged in an indictment with committing the first theft - up until the murders.

Pretrial hearings in the case will resume June 10, when Caneiro's attorneys are expected to ask the judge to bar the state's arson expert from testifying at the trial.

Colts Neck murders: lawyer wants evidence from Paul Caneiro's phone, computers thrown out

 

[Niner]

Tuesday, June 10th:
*Motions 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 57) (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.
Jury selection set to begin on 9/8/25.
Trial set to begin on 9/8/25 after jury selection. (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.
Court hearing from 11/28/18 thru 4/4/25 reference post #13 here:
https://websleuths.com/threads/nj-m...ounty-colts-neck-20-nov-2018-arrest-2.740776/
5/8/25 Update: Defense attorney Monika Mastellone has filed motions seeking to bar the state's arson expert from testifying at Caneiro's trial & to exclude ballistic & 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 Judge Lemieux. Judge Lemieux said the evidence seized without a warrant is a DVR security system, taken from Caneiro's garage with the defendant's consent. Judge Lemieux gave prosecutors until 5/28/25 to respond to the defense attorney's motions to exclude the ballistics evidence, the evidence seized pursuant to the search warrant & footage from the DVR security system. The judge scheduled hearings on those motions for 6/3/25. Judge Lemieux directed prosecutors to respond to the defense motions seeking to exclude testimony of the arson expert & evidence of a financial crimes motive by 6/5/25. He scheduled hearings on those motions for 6/10/25. Caneiro's trial date has been pushed back multiple times. Jury selection for the trial is now scheduled to begin on 9/8/25.
6/3/25 Update: In pretrial hearings June 3, Caneiro's defense team also asked Judge Lemieux to suppress evidence from a home security system taken from the garage at the defendant's Ocean Township home & to bar the state's ballistics expert from testifying at the trial. Judge Lemieux has not yet ruled on the motion. In a small win for the defense, the judge said he will hold a hearing, beginning on 6/30/25, to allow the ballistics expert to explain how he reached his conclusions, before deciding that issue. Motions hearing was continued on 6/4/25.
6/4/25 Update: Caneiro's defense attorney added data from her client's cell phone & other electronic devices to the list of evidence she wants excluded from his upcoming trial. Monika Mastellone of the Public Defender's Office argued June 4 before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux that all evidence collected from Caneiro's cell phone, Apple watch, iPad & laptop should be suppressed because the warrants granting investigators permission to search those devices were overly broad & gave them unfettered access to all the data contained on them. Mastellone, in arguing that everything found on Caneiro's electronic devices be excluded from the trial, did not reveal what incriminating evidence may have been contained on them. But Nicole Wallace, an assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, said because the defendant & one of the victims were brothers & business partners, it was reasonable for investigators to think the phone would contain communications between the two & reveal information about the motive for & planning of the murders. Judge Lemieux did not rule on Mastellone's motion to suppress everything derived from the electronic devices, but indicated he may consider limiting how far back in time investigators can go on the phones & other devices. Pretrial hearings in the case will resume on 6/10/25, when Caneiro's attorneys are expected to ask the judge to bar the state's arson expert from testifying at the trial.

 

[Niner]

Here's an article on the motions hearing on 6/3/25 - I do not believe it has been posted.

https://eu.app.com/story/news/local/courts/2025/06/04/defense-argues-to-exclude-key-evidence-in-paul-caneiro-murder-case/83944690007/

 

[cass523]

Life insurance policy key to Paul Caneiro's motive for killing brother's family, cops say​

FREEHOLD When Keith Caneiro created an irrevocable trust to fund the payment of premiums on his $3 million life insurance policy, he gave his brother, Paul, sole access to the trust fund, making him responsible to ensure the premiums were paid.

But at 3:37 p.m. on Nov. 19, 2018, after Keith Caneiro received notice from the insurance company that the premiums hadn't been paid for months, he called Paul, demanding to see the trust account statements.

Less than 3 hours later, at 6:06 p.m., Keith Caneiro called his brother again, this time angry, yelling and demanding to be given the password for the trust account so he could see for himself where the money was going.

Paul Caneiro dismissed the demand, telling his brother he had a headache and didn't know the password.

About 12:30 p.m. the next day, Keith Caneiro, his wife and two young children were found murdered at their Colts Neck mansion as an inferno consumed the 5,800-square-foot home.

Nicole Wallace, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, revealed those details of Keith Caneiro's financial affairs June 10, at a pretrial hearing for Paul Caneiro, 58, of Ocean Township, who is facing trial in September on charges he murdered his 50-year-old brother, sister-in-law Jennifer, 45, niece Sophia, 8, and nephew Jesse, 8.

The defendant also is facing theft and arson charges.

Wallace and Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Decker allege Paul Caneiro's motive for the murders was that his brother discovered he had been stealing from him.

Wallace alleged at the pretrial hearing that Caneiro stole tens of thousands of dollars from the trust account and forged financial statements that he gave to his brother and his brother's accountant purporting to show that the insurance premiums were being paid all along.

Paul Caneiro's defense attorneys have asked Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux to bar any evidence of the financial motive from being introduced to a jury at the upcoming trial.

Deputy Public Defender Tamar Lerer argued the state's theory of motive should be excluded because it is too complicated for an average juror to understated.

"We don't fully understand it, given what we have been given by the state so far,'' Lerer said. "The question is, could anyone understand it?

"It's not within the wheelhouse of an ordinary juror to understand how a trust operates, what is reasonable to do with a trust, what appropriate loans are or are not,'' Lerer said.

Wallace, however, elaborated on the state's theory with information she said was garnered from certified bank records and communications, electronic and otherwise, between the two brothers.
Keith Caneiro created the irrevocable trust on July 27, 1999, funding it with an initial deposit of $1,000, Wallace said. He designated Paul as its trustee, she said.

On Aug. 19, 1999, Keith Caneiro purchased a $3 million whole-life insurance policy from Canada Life Insurance Company and transferred ownership of the policy to the irrevocable trust, Wallace said. He designated his wife as the beneficiary of the trust and, if something should happen to both he and his wife, the trust would go to their children, she said.

If something were to happen to all four of them, half of the trust fund would go to Paul and half would go to their other brother, she said.

Keith Caneiro subsequently established a checking account at TD Bank in the name of Keith Caneiro Irrevocable Trust Agreement to fund the $7,800 quarterly premiums on the life insurance policy from his company's payroll, Wallace said.

"The trustee's job was to pay the quarterly premiums,'' she said, referring to Paul Caneiro.

"The only person who had access to that (trust account) was the defendant, so Keith did not have access to it,'' Wallace said.

Although Keith Caneiro's name was on the trust account, once he created it, he no longer had access to it, she said. He had no password for it and was unable to check on the account's activity, the assistant prosecutor explained.

Paul Caneiro, however, would periodically send the bank statements to his brother and his brother's accountant, Wallace said.

Wallace said the state has certified bank records showing that Paul Caneiro routinely diverted funds from the account in 2017 and 2018.

The records show that in 2017, the defendant electronically transferred $31,900 from the trust account to an account in his name at TD Bank, another $1,500 to a joint account he had with his wife at TD Bank and $280 to another account at TD Bank that he shared with a daughter, Wallace said.

"He paid back about $19,800 of that,'' Wallace said.

Of the $31,200 annual life insurance premium, the defendant only paid $25,791 in 2017, she said.

The bank records show that in 2018, Paul Caneiro transferred $43,500 from the trust account to his own bank account and another $1,000 to the joint account he shared with his wife, Wallace said.

"That year, of the required $31,200 in annual premiums that were supposed to be paid to Canada Life, he only paid $8,500,'' the assistant prosecutor said.

"On the day of the murders, the defendant electronically transferred $1,200 to his own account,'' she said.

Keith Caneiro previously had set up a loan account attached to the life-insurance policy to be used if the premiums were not paid, Wallace explained. In April 2018, Keith Caneiro noticed that a loan had accrued, so he confronted his brother about the missing premium payments, Wallace said.

Through email communications, Paul Caneiro "indicates that he accidentally paid $25,000 to his daughter's tuition, and there was a confrontation back and forth there,'' Wallace said.

"There's also an indication that the defendant was forging or fudging the bank records,'' she said.

By comparing the bank records the defendant provided to his brother's accountant with the certified bank records obtained by the state, it was clear the money the defendant claimed was going to pay the life insurance premiums was instead going to his bank account, Wallace said.

(Continued)

https://www.app.com/story/news/loca...e-for-caneiro-murders-police-say/83996754007/

 

[Niner]

I do not believe anyone here has access to the court site, right?

It looks like the next hearing is on 6/30/25 a motions hearing re ballistics expert. Plus the Judge set another hearing that week for the arson expert, but I have no date. Guess we will have to wait after the 6/30 hearing to know the date of the next....