Shocking Verdict: NJ Tech Executive Found Guilty in Gruesome 2018 Family Quadruple Murder

In a devastating conclusion to a high-profile case, Paul Caneiro, a New Jersey technology executive, was convicted on Friday of murdering his brother and his brother’s family, then setting their home ablaze.

The 59-year-old was found guilty of four counts of murder, alongside charges of aggravated arson and weapons offenses. The victims were his brother, Keith Caneiro, aged 50; Keith’s wife, Jennifer, aged 45; and their two young children. The tragic incident took place in 2018.

The verdict was delivered by a Monmouth County jury after just five hours of deliberations, underscoring the weight of the evidence presented during the trial.

Paul Caneiro was previously arraigned for the murders before Judge Joseph W. Oxley at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold, New Jersey, on March 18, 2019. The case has attracted significant public attention, partly due to the brothers’ partnership at a technology firm named Square One, based in Asbury Park.

Keith and Paul Caneiro were partners at a technology firm in Asbury Park called Square One. 

Caneiro killed his relatives over a soured business relationship with his brother, prosecutors alleged. 

Keith Caneiro discovered that his brother was stealing money from their businesses and from him personally. After the killings, Paul Caneiro then set their mansion on fire and his own home in an attempt to cover it up, authorities said.

Caneiro set fire to his own home in Ocean Township, allegedly using gasoline to set the structure ablaze while his wife and two daughters were inside. No one was hurt in that fire.

Keith Caneiro and Jennifer Caneiro were found dead at their New Jersey mansion after officials responded to a fire at the home last month. (Facebook)

Paul Caneiro had sneaked up on his brother’s family while they slept in the middle of the night, then set both fires to make it appear the entire family was being targeted, the Asbury Park Press and NJ.com reported.

Defense attorneys told the jury investigators failed to investigate anyone else for the crime, including a third Caneiro brother.

They suggested that two people reportedly seen at Keith Caneiro’s home shortly before police and emergency responders arrived may have been involved in the killings. 

Paul Caneiro appears in Monmouth County Superior Court for a detention hearing in Freehold, N.J.  (Patti Sapone/NJ Advance Media via AP)

Paul Caneiro now faces a potential life term when he’s sentenced May 12.