Paul Caneiro was convicted of killing his brother, Keith Caneiro, and his family before setting the house on fire

Paul Caneiro brutally murdered his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew in 2018.

On Nov. 20, 2018, first responders received a call about a massive fire in a mansion in the wealthy town of Colts Neck, N.J. Upon arrival, paramedics discovered that Keith Caneiro, Jennifer Caneiro and their two children, Jesse, 11, and Sophia, 8, were all dead.

However, it didn’t take long for investigators to realize that the family’s tragic deaths weren’t an accident. Keith, who was found outside the home, had been shot to death, while the other three had also been stabbed prior to the fire.

That same day, firefighters also responded to a home that had been set on fire in the nearby Ocean Township, N.J. Keith’s brother, Paul, and his family were located inside, but they all survived.

Paul went on to allege that someone had targeted both him and his brother with the arson attacks. However, just a few days later, Paul was arrested and later charged with four counts of murder and two counts of arson, among other charges.

During his subsequent trial, prosecutors alleged that Paul killed his younger brother in an attempt to get a multimillion-dollar insurance payout, per CBS News. Paul has since been convicted and is serving time in prison.

Here’s everything to know about where Paul Caneiro is now.

Who is Paul Caneiro?

Paul was raised in Brooklyn alongside his younger brothers, Keith and Corey Caneiro, per The New York Times. Paul and Keith had a close relationship growing up and each attended Brooklyn College.

Upon graduating, they each married women from Staten Island — with Keith acting as Paul’s best man — and moved to homes in the suburbs of New Jersey that were about 20 minutes apart. Paul married a woman named Susan, and the two had daughters: Marissa and Katelyn.

After both of them launched careers of their own, they launched two businesses together in Asbury Park, N.J. One of the companies was called Ecostar, a pest control company, while the other was Jay-Martin Consulting, a computer consulting company in which Keith had a majority ownership, per court records.

In addition to being business partners, Keith and Paul allegedly had a close relationship up until the murders. One of Paul’s attorneys, Robert Honecker, told CNN that they were best friends who spoke almost daily.

What did Paul do?

Around 2 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2018, Paul drove to Keith’s family home at 15 Willow Brook Road in Colts Neck, N.J., according to court documents. He proceeded to lure his younger brother, 50, outside and fatally shot him four times in the head and once in the torso, per court documents obtained by New Jersey 101.5.

Paul proceeded to go inside and find Keith’s wife, Jennifer, 45, and shot her in the head before stabbing her. He then stabbed his 11-year-old nephew, Jesse, and 8-year-old niece, Sophia. Sophia was reportedly alive by the time Paul moved on to the next phase of his horrific plan.

Paul walked to the basement and allegedly started a slow-burning fire there. As a result, Sophia died from lung damage and smoke inhalation, according to medical examiners.

“Sophia survived her parents albeit with multiple stab wounds for an unimaginable period of time but demonstrably long enough to experience breathing difficulty and onset of high-degree stress,” court documents say, as reported by New Jersey 101.5.

A little after noon that day, a neighbor noticed the flames billowing from Keith’s home and called 911. By 2 p.m. that day, the Monmouth County Prosecutor confirmed that there were “multiple fatalities.”

Meanwhile, just hours before, firefighters were called to a nearby property that was on fire — which was none other than Paul’s family’s home at 27 Tilton Drive in Ocean Township.

Prosecutors allege that upon committing the murder spree and starting the fire, Paul drove to his home — where his wife and two daughters were still sleeping — and allegedly used gasoline to set his home on fire around 5 a.m. All four family members made it out safely with no injuries

Why did Paul kill his brother and his family?

Just one night before Paul killed Keith, he was exposed for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from his younger brother.

Prosecutors alleged that Paul had stolen around $75,000 from a trust the brothers had set up nearly 20 years prior to the murders, the indictment read, per NBC News. Monmouth County Assistant District Attorney Nicole Wallace alleged that Keith found out about the stolen funds the night before and had confronted Paul and demanded he return the money.

“Instead, he began making plans that were executed eight hours later,” Wallace said. “You know how those plans ended.”

In addition to demanding he pay him back, Keith also emailed his company stating that Paul would no longer be receiving his salary until the stolen funds were located, per The Washington Post. Prosecutors claimed that Paul killed his family members in hopes of inheriting the multimillion-dollar insurance payout, per CBS News.

“We allege Paul Caneiro repeatedly shot and killed his brother Keith, then moved on to murder the rest of the Caneiro family,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said at the time, per CNN. “Keith Caneiro was shot multiple times, Jennifer Caneiro was shot and stabbed, and the two Caneiro children were stabbed multiple times with a knife. After murdering his brother’s family, Paul Caneiro set fire to the Colts Neck house at 15 Willow Brook Road in an effort to conceal or disguise his crimes.”

Prosecutors further claimed that Paul took evidence from Keith’s home and brought it to his house and set the house on fire, per ABC News. They also alleged that Paul set his home on fire to make it look like a targeted attack against the brothers.

“The fire at his home served two purposes,” Gramiccioni said. “One was to destroy evidence that he retained and brought back from the Colts Neck crime scene, and the other was to create some type of a ruse or appearance that his larger overall family was somehow targeted.”

Where is Paul Caneiro now?

Just one day after Paul went on the crime spree, he was arrested and charged with setting his own house on fire.

By Nov. 29, Paul was arrested in connection with Keith’s family’s killings after investigators found traces of Sophia’s DNA on Paul. He was charged with four counts of murder, one count of aggravated arson, one count of illegal possession of a firearm and one count of illegal possession of a knife, per ABC News.

Paul vehemently denied the accusations, with his attorneys, Robert Honecker and Mitchell Ansell, saying in a statement, “Paul Caneiro is an innocent man who stands wrongfully accused by the State of New Jersey. Paul’s expectations are when this case is over he will be completely vindicated and the truth will come out.”

After years of delays, Paul’s trial began in January 2026. Two months later, Paul was found guilty on four counts of murder, two counts of aggravated arson and two weapons counts, per the Associated Press.

In May 2026, Paul was given four life sentences without the possibility of parole. During the sentencing hearing, some of Keith’s family’s loved ones shared victim impact statements.

“They were beautiful children, a beautiful family,” Bonnie Karidis, the victim’s sister said, per ABC News. “They did everything together. They loved each other. They were so a part of the community and they brought so much joy to everyone and I still think I’m going to wake up and this is a nightmare and I would have my little Sophia and Jesse and my sister and Keith back.”

Jennifer’s mother said in a separate statement, “He could have stopped this from dragging on, but no, he sits here today with his evil soul, still not admitting what he has done.”

Paul, who didn’t testify or say anything during his sentencing, is currently serving his four life sentences at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, N.J., per inmate records.

Source: https://people.com/where-is-paul-caneiro-now-12021458