FREEHOLD, N.J. (Court TV) — A man convicted of murdering his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew before setting fire to their home and his own home has filed an appeal blaming the judge and prosecutors for the jury’s verdict.
Paul Caneiro sits in court during opening statements in his murder trial on Jan. 12, 2026. (Court TV)
Paul Caneiro, 59, was convicted of multiple charges, including four counts of first-degree murder and aggravated arson in the deaths of his brother, Keith Caneiro, 50; Keith Caneiro’s wife, Jennifer Caneiro, 45; and the couple’s two young children, Jesse, 11, and Sophia, 8. Keith and Jennifer Caneiro were shot to death, while the two young children were stabbed. Prosecutors say they were still alive when their house burned down.
After burning down his brother’s house, investigators said that Paul Caneiro returned to his own house and set a fire there in an attempt to throw off investigators. Paul Caneiro’s wife and daughters, who were inside the home, escaped.
At trial, Paul Caneiro pleaded not guilty; his attorney argued that the police failed to investigate the case adequately and suggested that a third brother, Corey Caneiro, was behind the brutal killings.
MORE | NJ v. Paul Caneiro: The Mansion Murders Trial
Now, in an appeal filed with the court, Paul Caneiro has pointed to the judge and prosecution’s behavior as the reasons for why he should get a new trial.
Judge Marc Lemieux’s frustration was visible beyond the stress ball mentioned during the trial, Paul Caneiro’s attorney said. “Beginning on the first day of trial, the Court was often impatient, critical and hostile toward the defense, and only the defense,” Paul Caneiro’s attorney, Monika Mastellone, wrote. “During a variety of sidebars, the Court exhibited a clearly angry demeanor toward defense counsel, which was observable by the jury. Such demeanor included pointing at counsel, becoming flushed, scowling, squeezing a stress ball, and other angry gesticulations.”
On the third day of the quadruple murder trial, Lemieux joked that he brought in a stress ball to the courtroom. “I picked the soft one,” Lemieux quipped. “I’m gonna see how I do with this, you guys can keep an eye on me, see how I’m doing with this.” But Mastellone said that stress ball became a problem because it was used repeatedly when they were cross-examining witnesses or speaking at a sidebar. “Because the Court told the jury to ‘keep an eye on’ his use of it, the jury was cognizant of the correlation between the stress ball and frustration with the defense.” The brief includes an appendix of links to videos from various sources, including several from Court TV.
The brief notes that Lemieux built a positive rapport with the jury panel, even having a joke or “question of the day” to start each morning. The rapport was so positive, in fact, that Mastellone noted Juror No. 9 even winked to the Court as they left the courtroom. “This rapport, when contrasted with the Court’s consistent negative treatment of the defense, undermined the patience and impartiality that the court must exhibit before the jury.”
Paul Caneiro’s attorneys also accused prosecutors of making improper statements in their closing arguments. Mastellone said the prosecution inappropriately invoked religion and opined on the defendant’s state of mind with comments like, “And [Paul’s] driving home…And he’s got that voice in his head, right? He’s thinking about that special bond with Jesse. He’s thinking about, ‘God, what I just did to my niece.'”
Mastellone also took issue with how the alleged murder weapon was characterized in closing arguments, especially given a comment the prosecutor made about not owning any guns themselves. “While holding up the defendant’s Sig Sauer firearm for the jury to see, the State said, ‘This thing’s a beast.’ This inflammatory remark about a normal handgun, combined with the notion that the prosecutor in this case does not even own any guns, creates improper and prejudicial suggestions to the jury about how to consider this evidence. It was none of the jury’s business whether the prosecutor owned any guns, nor was it proper for the prosecutor to characterize the handgun as ‘a beast.'”
Lemieux will hear arguments on the motion for a new trial at a hearing on April 20. Paul Caneiro faces life in prison when he is sentenced on May 12.
