COLTS NECK — One of New Jersey’s most disturbing murder cases will be featured in a new episode of “Dateline NBC” airing Friday night.
The two-hour report, titled “Slow Burn,” is scheduled for July 17 at 10 p.m. Eastern time on NBC. Correspondent Andrea Canning will examine the 2018 killings of Keith and Jennifer Caneiro and their two young children inside their Colts Neck home.
The program will trace how investigators responding to a mansion fire discovered all four family members dead and soon connected the crime scene to another fire reported hours earlier at a home in neighboring Ocean Township.
That link ultimately led authorities to Paul Caneiro, Keith Caneiro’s brother, and exposed what prosecutors described as a deadly betrayal fueled by financial problems, jealousy and greed.
Paul Caneiro, 59, was sentenced in May to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for killing Keith Caneiro, 50; Jennifer Caneiro, 45; and their children, Jesse, 11, and Sophia, 8.
Authorities found Keith Caneiro fatally shot outside the family’s home. Jennifer and the children were discovered inside. Prosecutors said all three had been stabbed, and Jennifer had also been shot.
Investigators said Paul Caneiro set fire to his own Ocean Township home after the killings in an attempt to destroy evidence and portray himself as another victim. Detectives connected the two fires within hours and began focusing on Caneiro as a suspect.
Prosecutors said the brothers owned two businesses together in Asbury Park and that the motive was connected to financial wrongdoing and an alleged insurance fraud scheme.
A jury convicted Caneiro of four counts of murder and several additional offenses, including aggravated arson, weapons charges, theft, misapplication of entrusted property and hindering apprehension.
During sentencing, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said the punishment reflected the cruelty of the crimes.
“The sentence demonstrates that a person who is driven by greed and depression, jealousy and viciousness, gets exactly what he deserves,” Santiago said.
Relatives also delivered emotional victim impact statements describing the Caneiros as a close family that was deeply involved in the community.
The defense had argued that investigators failed to adequately examine another family member as a possible suspect. Jurors rejected that argument and returned guilty verdicts after several hours of deliberation.
The “Dateline” episode will include interviews with former Colts Neck Mayor JP Bartolomeo, local resident and television reporter Monica Guy, detectives, prosecutors, firefighters, investigators and childhood friends of Jesse and Sophia Caneiro.
