Crime & Safety
Colts Neck Murder Case Won't Go To Trial Until 2020
The case will go before a grand jury in Jan./Feb. and must then go to trial within 270 days. But things may delay that, the prosecutor said.
COLTS NECK, NJ — The trial for Paul Caneiro, the man accused of killing his brother and brother's entire family in Colts Neck, likely won't start until 2020.
That's the stunning revelation the Monmouth County Prosecutor made Tuesday morning, in an interview he gave to NJ 101.5 radio station, his spokesman confirmed to Patch.
“Unfortunately, the wheels of justice do grind slow,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said in the interview.
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As Caneiro waived his right to a detention hearing, he will remain in jail until his trial starts.
The secrecy is continuing to build in the Caneiro quadruple murder case, as just Monday a Monmouth County Superior Court judge decided to seal the affidavit of probable cause, a spokesman for the prosecutor said. The affidavit contains the detectives' findings in the case and would include why the county prosecutor thinks he has enough evidence to arrest Caneiro and charge him with murder.
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Here's why the case likely won't head to trial until 2020:
An affidavit is usually a publicly available document, but on Monday the judge ordered it sealed until Feb. 21, 2019, the day after a grand jury had heard the evidence and decided to indict Caneiro, or not. Should a grand jury decided to indict Caneiro, the case has to go to trial within 270 days.
However, other things can delay that, such as the defense lawyers challenging evidence, the prosecutor said.
Related: Picture Emerges Of One Caneiro Brother Thriving, Another In Pain
It was both Prosecutor Gramiccioni and Caneiro's defense lawyers who asked to have the affidavit sealed, and Superior Court Assignment Judge Lisa Thornton approved their requests. The prosecution said releasing details about the case could compromise their case, and Caneiro's lawyer, Bob Honecker, said details in the document "could influence public opinion" against Caneiro, the Asbury Park Press reported.
There are reportedly 16 paragraphs in the affidavit that include vital information about the murders, as well as witness statements.
Top photo: Paul Caneiro, at his first court appearance (from CBS News).
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