New Jersey quadruple murderer Paul Caneiro took $85K from his brother, according to prosecutors

Paul Caneiro Accused of Stealing from Brother Before Fatal Incident

Paul Caneiro, who leads a financially struggling tech company in New Jersey, stands accused of stealing $80,000 from his brother just hours before a tragic killing, according to prosecutors.

Despite being on disability and grappling with poor business conditions, Caneiro managed to lease five luxury vehicles, including three Porsches, a Jeep Wrangler, and an Audi Q5 for his girlfriend, spending over $85,000 between 2017 and 2018.

Prosecutors allege that in a fit of rage regarding missing funds, Paul stole about $78,000 from his brother and business partner, Keith Caneiro, shortly before his death in 2018.

In court, surveillance footage showed Keith loudly demanding his brother’s trust fund login details to figure out where the money had vanished.

“Paul, give me your login,” Keith implored, voice echoing. “I want to know where it went.”

He insisted Paul contact him by 8 p.m. with the information, but prosecutors claimed Paul failed to do so and instead, allegedly plotted to murder his brother and his family within hours.

Testimony revealed that authorities aimed to provide evidence linking Paul’s stolen funds to personal expenditures, including payments for his mistress’s Audi Q5.

Detective Debra Bassinder from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that Paul had contributed nearly $10,000 toward a $53,000 Audi lease in 2018.

Paul and Keith co-owned two businesses, a tech firm called Square One and a pest control company named Ecostar, but the enterprises weren’t flourishing. Financial burdens were mounting. In 2017, Paul’s expenses surpassed $400,000, and in the following year, they topped $300,000. He also faced significant tax liabilities, paying around $55,000 combined over those two years, with his bank account frequently dipping into negative territory.

According to detectives, Paul drained his retirement savings for loans and struggled to manage his credit card debt, which reached hundreds of thousands of dollars during this timeframe.

Prosecutors suggested these financial woes drove Paul to fund premiums for a $3 million life insurance policy belonging to Keith through a trust.

On the night of November 20, 2018, prosecutors allege Paul visited Keith’s home, disabled the electricity, and waited in the shadows to ambush them as they investigated the power outage.

Prosecutors contend that Paul fatally shot Keith and subsequently killed his wife, Jennifer, 45, before violently attacking their two children, Sophia, 8, and Jesse, 11.