Latest day of testimony focuses on fire at Keith Caneiro’s Colts Neck home
Paul Caneiro is accused of killing his brother, Keith Caneiro, and Keith's family in 2018 and then trying to cover up the killings.
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After a day off because of the snowstorm, testimony in the murder trial of Paul Caneiro resumed Tuesday at Monmouth County Superior Court.
Paul Caneiro is accused of killing his brother, Keith Caneiro, and Keith's family in 2018 and then trying to cover up the killings.
The focus of the trial has now shifted to the Colts Neck home of Keith Caneiro.
Prosecutors called former Monmouth County Detective Joseph Cordoma to the stand, who responded to the scene back in November 2018.
Cordoma explained how investigators determined the fire had started in a supply closet in the basement of the home. He says that after ruling out weather and accidental causes, it was determined that the fire had to be set on purpose.
“Finding that the area of origin is somewhere within that storage closet and the fire burned for some time,” said Cordoma.
Cordoma explained how the fire was slow-burning and likely began around 3 a.m.
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Responders also took note of the electrical box, where they discovered that “wires were cut in the storage utility room, wires that resembled communication data lines.”
And with those wires cut, Cordoma testified, “It would provide no communication that there was a fire in the house.”
Cordoma testified that blood stains found in the kitchen indicated movement from the person they came from.
Next, Robert Block took the stand, a former employee of Square One, the technology company owned by Keith Caneiro and Paul Caneiro. Block told jurors he received an email at 3:18 a.m. notifying the power supply to the Square One firewall and server had gone out inside Keith Caneiro's basement.
“Who was most aware of the infrastructure, the Square One infrastructure in Keith's basement?” Block was asked.
Block responded, “Paul knew it was there.”
Block testified he had a brief text exchange with Paul Caneiro about the power loss that morning. He said that Paul Caneiro texted him back, “I'll let you know when I hear back from Keith.”
State Police Sgt. Matthew Cocking testified that his K9 picked up the scent of human remains inside the Porsche Macan and around a frozen pile of objects found in the basement of Paul Caneiro’s Ocean Township home.
