Paul Caneiro sentenced to life in prison for murder of brother, brother's family in New Jersey

A judge sentenced Paul Canerio to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering four members of his family. 

A jury found Caneiro, 59, guilty in February of murdering his brother, Keith, and his brother's family. He was convicted of killing his brother, stabbing his sister-in-law, Jennifer, and the couple's young children, Jesse and Sophia, before setting their Colts Neck mansion on fire in November 2018.  

Caneiro stood still with a stone-cold face as the judge read the sentence for each charge.

"It's a flat-out killing of innocent people," the judge said. He called it "cold, deliberate malice."

Caneiro was also charged with multiple arson and weapons offenses, misapplication of an entrusted property and hindering the prosecution. It took jurors about four hours to find him guilty on all 15 counts.  

Prosecutors said the motive was money, as Caneiro was set to receive a $1.5 million insurance policy.

Breakdown of Caneiro's sentence

The judge sentenced Caneiro to four life sentences without the possibility of parole. He was also sentenced to eight years each for the arson and theft charges, which will run concurrently. 

Caneiro was sentenced for a host of other charges he was convicted of. He will ultimately spend the rest of his life behind bars. 

"His address will forever be the Department of Corrections," the judge said. "Punishment is paramount." 

"You are a quadruple murderer who slaughtered innocent children. That is your identity," he said. 

Caneiro has 45 days to appeal his sentence. 

Details of the trial

The jury saw copious amounts of evidence, including surveillance video of Caneiro's car leaving his home and returning on the morning of the murders.

Caneiro maintained his innocence since his arrest. His defense tried to blame a third brother.

They said police didn't investigate the other sibling, who would have also received $1.5 million from the insurance policy. 

Caneiro's two daughters also testified, defending their father. 

Prosecutors said they found Caneiro's clothes hidden in his basement with his niece's blood on them. They also said law enforcement found a gas can in his driveway, evidence of arson.