Brother Charged With Killing Family In Colts Neck Murders

COLTS NECK, NJ — A 51-year-old New Jersey man was charged Thursday morning with killing his brother's family in the Colts Neck quadruple murders, according to court records.

RELATED: Motive Was Financial In Colts Neck Murders, Prosecutor Says

Paul Caneiro was charged with four counts of murder in the slaying of his brother, Keith Caniero, 50, Jennifer Caneiro, 45, and the couple's two children, according to court record information pubished online.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office also has accused Caneiro of setting his own Ocean Township house on fire with his wife and daughters inside. Read more: Details On Colts Neck Murder Charges Revealed

Caneiro was also charged with possession of a firearm and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, accoding to court records.

Read more: The Colts Neck Quadruple Murder: A Timeline Of Events

Caneiro was due for his first court appearance this Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. However, that has now been postponed to Friday, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor.

Caneiro's defense lawyer, Bob Honecker, requested that his first court appearance be pushed back to this Friday, again at 9 a.m., at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold. He will appear before Judge James J. McGann.

“We were prepared to be in court," said Chris Swendeman, a spokesman for the Monmouth County prosecutor.

"We were presented with new evidence from the prosecution on Tuesday afternoon, and we want more time to review it," said Honecker. He refused to divulge what that new evidence was.

Honecker used to be an assistant prosecutor for Monmouth County; he's now a private defense attorney.

Friday was also supposed to be Caneiro's detention hearing, at which point the judge was to decide if he could go free or if he will remain in jail until his trial starts.

The prosecutor wants him kept in jail; Honecker has reportedly said he will ask that Caneiro be allowed free. He even told Patch earlier this week that he will be asking his wife and daughters to testify on their father's behalf at the hearing — even though they were in the house when police say Caneiro set the fire.

"His family thinks he saved them," maintains his lawyer. "They will speak to how he woke them up and got them out of the house."

Caneiro was initially accused of starting the fire at his Tilton Drive home at 5 a.m. last Tuesday, Nov. 20. He is charged with aggravated arson.

The fire at the Colts Neck mansion, where his brother's entire family, Keith, Jennifer, Jesse and Sophia Caneiro, died, broke out the same day: Nov. 20, at 12:30 p.m. The family of four was murdered some time before the fire started, county Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni said.

The Colts Neck community and Caneiro family, meanwhile, are coming to grips with the tragedy as they remember Keith, the father, as a man who loved spending time with his wife and children.

Read more: Heartbreaking Obituaries For Colts Neck Quadruple Murder Victims

The hearbreaking obituaries published over the weekend talked about how Keith was passionate about fitness and staying in shape (he was a member of Aspire Gym in Colts Neck), and loved his dog, Sydney (the dog died several years ago). Keith earned his undergraduate and master's degrees from Columbia University, and was CEO of Square One, the Asbury Park-technology firm he started with his now-jailed brother.

"Keith was an avid reader, often reading three or four books in a week. He was a passionate sports fan and a loving husband and father," according to his obituary.

His wife, Jennifer, meanwhile, was a graduate of the University of Albany and was an active member of the Conover Road School PTO in Colts Neck, according to her obituary.

With reporting by Carly Baldwin

Photo of Paul Caneiro released by the Monmouth County jail.