Inset: Brian Canarelli (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Jupiter, Florida, neighborhood where Canarelli fatally shot his estranged wife’s fiance in the man’s front yard (Google Maps).
A Florida jury has convicted a man in the fatal shooting of his estranged wife’s fiance, a case that could send him to prison for many years.
On Friday, jurors in Palm Beach County found 46-year-old Brian Canarelli guilty of second-degree murder in the June 2021 death of 37-year-old James “Cole” Berger.
The trial began Sept. 22. Jurors declined to convict Canarelli on the more serious charge of first-degree murder, but the guilty verdict includes a firearm sentencing enhancement that carries mandatory prison penalties under Florida law.
The shooting unfolded shortly after 2:30 a.m. on June 23, 2021, outside a home on 98th Trail North in Jupiter, a coastal city roughly 85 miles north of Miami.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies reached the property at approximately 2:35 a.m. and found Berger suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to an arrest report obtained by The Palm Beach Post and Tequesta-based ABC affiliate WPBF, Canarelli had gone to the home after his estranged wife asked him to pick up their son. Berger objected to the visit, and a confrontation followed.
The dispute soon escalated into physical violence.
As the woman opened the gate so her son could leave with his father, Berger reportedly climbed over it.
Berger’s fiancee told investigators that she heard a gunshot after he cleared the gate. While she attempted CPR, she recalled Canarelli saying that he had shot Berger, though she said she never saw the weapon.
Berger’s mother, who was also at the residence, gave investigators a more detailed and disturbing account. She said Canarelli reached behind his back and fired once at her son before approaching him as he lay wounded and shooting four additional times.
“He had his whole life ahead of him but was robbed of it so malevolently,” Berger’s obituary stated.
The obituary also portrayed Berger as someone whose warmth and kindness left a lasting impression on those around him:
For the many that knew him, or even knew of him, Cole lived a life rooted in Love. His presence always lifted the vibe in the room. He had a special way of making everyone feel welcome and comfortable and always greeted his friends with big warm hugs. He was a gentle giant. A kind quiet man who liked the simple things and expressed to everyone how little he wanted or needed out of life because he had it all.
Investigators found Canarelli’s Porsche Cayenne parked south of the house, according to court documents. A pistol was visible on the driver’s-side floorboard, and six spent 9 mm casings were recovered from the property.
Circuit Judge John Parnofiello postponed sentencing so authorities could complete a presentence investigation requested by the defense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
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