May 19, 2026
“A Thousand Years Would Not Be Enough” Victims’ Family Speaks Out At Quadruple Homicide Sentencing
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RSS Feed It was a powerful and emotional day in a New Jersey courtroom as family members asked a judge to impose the maximum sentence for 59-year-old Paul Caneiro. Caneiro was convicted of brutally murdering his own brother, sister-in-law, 11-year-old nephew and 8-year-old niece out of greed and jealousy. Caneiro showed no emotion as the judge sentenced him to 4 consecutive life sentences without parole.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey, folks, it is Tuesday, May nineteenth, and just a short time ago somebody called him Satan in court, and just a short time after that, the judge gave him four life sentences without the possibility of parole. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. This was a case we followed closely. This was a horrific case of a man essentially slaughtered his brother, his brother's wife, and his brother's two kids, his own niece and nephew who are eleven and eight years old. Robes. There wasn't supposed to be sentencing for Paul Canaro. That was supposed to be a lot of mystery. We knew what sentence he was going to get, but this was still a drama filled day in court.
00:00:44
Speaker 2: It really really was.
00:00:46
Speaker 3: And look, this is an opportunity at sentencing, even though we knew there was a mandatory sentencing guideline for Paul Canaro given the atrociousness of the crimes he committed, and we can get into that. To remind you, this was the Colt's Neck murder trial, and we followed this day in and day out, and it was hard to listen to.
00:01:06
Speaker 2: But today this was the opportunity.
00:01:09
Speaker 3: For the family, members of the entire family he.
00:01:13
Speaker 2: Took out to speak up.
00:01:16
Speaker 3: They are always told not to direct their words towards the defendant, towards Paul Canaro, but instead directed towards the judge. But they had powerful words about Paul Canaro. And I also appreciated how much of what they said about the people who we lost, not just the lives that were taken out, but the possibility the future lives that were taken away, All of the possibilities that those young kids had ahead of them, all of that was taken away. It was it was hard to keep a dry eye listening to their statements.
00:01:53
Speaker 1: It was very hard to hear a lot of what the judge actually said before the sentencing we will explain, but just the reminder here, Paul Canaro and this crime was seven plus years ago, seven plus years ago, a family has been waiting for this day and for this justice. Again, you are talking about him slaughtering his own niece and nephew who are eight and eleven. It's an incomprehensible crime. And today finally the families were able to hear the sentence. And again we should explain seven years there were a bunch of delays, just legal back and forth, but it was COVID COCHD has well gotten in there and everything got delayed. This has been a long time waiting for this time.
00:02:30
Speaker 2: You use the word slaughter.
00:02:31
Speaker 3: That word was used often today and also this phrase an avalanche of evidence. And despite this avalanche of evidence and the viciousness of the crime, the premeditation this crime took still to this day, Paul Canaro claims he's innocent, maintains his innocence, and that really upset the family members and the judge himself too, saying, you won't even give this family that, you won't even admit it, and you won't apologize or show any remorse for this.
00:03:05
Speaker 1: And he had an opportunity to do all those things you mentioned today and he did not. He did speak in court. We will let you hear the few words he did have to say here in just a bit. But this was a day that we did have a packed room in the courthouse. I didn't actually see an empty seat in there. Folks packed for this day. But they brought him in and different today rose because during his trial we saw him come in and out, and he was allowed to wear street clothes. He was allowed to dress in appropriate way to present himself to the jury. Not the case today. He has been convicted and he walked in today and he didn't sit. Also is worth noting he wasn't sitting. He was by himself sitting in the court today.
00:03:42
Speaker 3: Yeah, he was by himself, flanked, I believe, with three police officers behind him.
00:03:45
Speaker 2: He was shackled.
00:03:46
Speaker 3: He was in yellow prison garb, just whatever they hand out there for prisoners, and his defense team was actually on the other side of where he was standing. So yes, he was removed basically from the rest of the courtroom and in a bright yellow jumpsuit.
00:04:04
Speaker 1: And he sat there for and he had to for quite a while. Was the hearing that started, what was it eight thirty eastern times? Do I have that right? Road? Eight thirty Eastern time ended up going about two hours. We weren't expecting it to go that long. In fact, when we watched these roads, we think they might go a while because of the victim impact statements. Well those were short and to the point today and very few speakers. It was the judge who ended up taking up most of the time today.
00:04:30
Speaker 2: I have to say I was shocked by the judge.
00:04:33
Speaker 3: Look, we have been following a lot of trials, and throughout our careers we follow trials.
00:04:37
Speaker 2: Every judge is different, every courtroom is different.
00:04:40
Speaker 3: But I have never seen a judge go through and painstakingly go through the horrific nature of this crime, beat by beat, moment by moment.
00:04:52
Speaker 2: He multiple times.
00:04:54
Speaker 3: Went into excruciating detail about what Paul Canara was convicted of doing, and especially to his young niece.
00:05:02
Speaker 2: That was stomach turning. I actually couldn't imagine.
00:05:06
Speaker 3: Being the grandmother, make me cry, being the grandmother, being the sister, and listening to what happened to my beautiful family like it was awful to listen to.
00:05:19
Speaker 1: It got to a point I almost thought it was inappropriate. Actually one of the jukes I did too. I wanted him to stop, and I understand what he was. I guess you have to put this stuff on the record. He has to explain why he's making legal determinations and why aggravating factors, right, you know, I get it. But we've a lot of trials. I ain't heard anything like this, And to be honest with you, maybe I haven't heard anything from a judge like this because quite frankly, I haven't really heard of a crime like this.
00:05:42
Speaker 2: That's a really good point, babe. I don't know if I've ever heard it.
00:05:45
Speaker 3: Described how a grown man who was known as Uncle Paul to this little girl and little boy could stab an eight year old forty times and once through her naval cavity. I mean he went into that detail, crushing her skull with a knife.
00:06:03
Speaker 2: I mean, this is what the judge was reading aloud.
00:06:06
Speaker 3: And yes, I was imagining how difficult it would be to be a family member. But I also was thinking, perhaps, I know there were legal reasons, but could it have also been punitive to Paul Canaro? Like the judge wanted him to relive it, wanted him to hear it, wanted him to experience the shame and guilt and pain of what he did, and he wanted him to stand there while he recounted every move Paul Canaro made.
00:06:31
Speaker 1: And to that point he was standing there for quite a while. World. I would say it was certainly a half hour, but it might have been forty five minutes.
00:06:37
Speaker 2: I think it was over a half an hour to.
00:06:39
Speaker 1: Give him the sentence. So Canaro has to stand and the judge Reid goes through count after count after count, crime after crime after crime, detail after detail about horrific it was, and finally he gets to the point and he gives him his sentence and wrote, there was I think seventeen counts that he was found guilty of. Of course the major ones have to do with murder, but there were others. But Rose's we knew this was going in. He's never getting out of prison.
00:07:05
Speaker 3: Yes, because beyond beyond just the shouldn't say just, but beyond the quadruple homicide convictions. He also then set their home on fire, and in fact they pointed out the little girl, the eight year old, died actually in part from the fire itself, so she didn't even die by all of those vicious wounds, just to add to how horrible her death must have been. But yes, eighteen years for theft, eighteen years for arson, eighteen years for arson because he also said his own home on fire to try and make it look like both he and his brother were being targeted, and he got four life sentences and they were consecutive sentences without.
00:07:47
Speaker 2: The possibility of paroles.
00:07:48
Speaker 3: So aka this man, I believe the judge said something like your permanent address from here on out is the Department of Corrections. You will never live anywhere else in your life.
00:08:00
Speaker 1: Before he got to all he wanted to say, there were victim impact statements. Now he was saying the judge, we were asking questions because he sounded like he wanted to keep it short. He didn't want everybody's to stand up, or he said, I've read through all the Apparently a bunch of letters and things came in, and we understand that. But on behalf of the victims, there were what three people only that went up. It was a friend of someone who was a coworker of Keith Canaro who was the victim, and then the mom and the sister of Jennifer Jennifer Canaro, who of course is the wife of Keith. And I think, without question, I think the mom was the most powerful and stirring statement we heard today.
00:08:42
Speaker 3: Just hearing you say that, I got chills from head to toe because she showed such strength.
00:08:47
Speaker 2: I was so impressed.
00:08:49
Speaker 3: She's been waiting seven years for this day and she said that. And she talked about how Paul Canaro stole the source of joy and happiness in our lives and replaced it with bottomless sadness sorrow and grief, and they talked about both the mom and the sister talked about how the father of Jennifer and the grandfather of those children died before getting to this day, and that was exceptionally sad because they had to wait.
00:09:15
Speaker 2: So long for this day in court.
00:09:18
Speaker 3: He didn't get to see it through to this day, and that was an added sadness to an already horrific situation.
00:09:24
Speaker 1: She was the mom was really powerful, and she was the most emotional person of the day. But the motion was anger right, and she wasn't up there just she was pissed and wanted to get this office chest.
00:09:35
Speaker 3: One of I think the most powerful things. She said, well, there were several things, but this stood out. One thousand years would not be enough. He do, man, I understand that. But when she said, your like, your niece and nephew were looking at their uncle Paul killing them, I mean, she really brought it home.
00:09:54
Speaker 2: He discussed us.
00:09:56
Speaker 3: He represents the very worst of humanity, and she there were times where she paused and she she almost I mean she yelled, I mean she was she raised her voice sternly to say that he was pure evil.
00:10:12
Speaker 1: You know, it's uh, we yes, we end up seeing a lot of these. I never felt a moment where she was going to break down and eat it a tissue. She was strong, she was upset, Yes she was emotional, but she was strong, and she's been waiting seven years, like you said, for this, Robes. And then the sister gets up there, and it's hard to understand when you think that's four people, that's four birthdays, that's Thanksgiving, Christmas, you have if you go through a year, think of all the times in somebody else's family you're in contact constantly because something momentous is happening. These kids were eight and eleven. Eight and eleven, there's a lifetime of even just middle school graduation. They don't even have to go to high school. Throw on the birthday, she said, an entire branch of our family was erased. He took out people who were going to produce possibly more kids, more grandkids, cousins, and you wipe out a branch of a family, and you're a family member that did it. She said that it brought things home in a way to me, Robes that you cannot understand. And who was the judge making the point like you killed your brother, you could have left.
00:11:29
Speaker 2: Why'd you have to go in and kill his wife? You kill your niece and nephew.
00:11:35
Speaker 1: Even that the wife you could have left. What Robes there is? It's an incomparence. There's nobody will ever get me to understand how what they describe happened to this little girl and that little boy. To understand how anybody, certainly a relative, is capable of that. It is impossible to understand.
00:11:54
Speaker 3: Yeah, when you hear this little jesse and eleven year old is stabbed I think they said eleven times, and that Sophia was stabbed forty times? How do you do that to not just anyone's child, but your own flesh and blood, your own relatives, And to do it that way is so vicious, That is rage. That is they've talked about jealousy, they talked about greed.
00:12:17
Speaker 1: She's eight and fifty pounds. It's impossible, Robes to comprehend how anybody is capable of that. I'm telling you, I do not. I can't look at him and just say he's a bad guy or he's a monster. Nope, this goes well beyond Robes. There is something else happening here. That is he might be the devil. Well like Robes, it's impossible to understand fifty pound girl and you stab her forty times to the point that the knife penetrates her nasal cavity. Now, Robes, it goes through her her face in such a way. She's fifty pounds, eight year old and is your niece, Robes, I'm there. That's that I would like to understand this. I'd like to understand that he is not normal. Something else is happening here and he needs to be studied. That you cannot do.
00:13:09
Speaker 2: That people and to live a life.
00:13:12
Speaker 3: He was a father of two daughters and a husband, So this isn't somebody who was an outlier, who had a troubled life, who was always no. He was a family man. So he understands intrinsically what that bond is and what that role is. So that to me, just the fact that he was able and truly I would say, leading a double life, because if that other side of him was there all along, it had to be he then was obviously pretending to be something that he wasn't. And to your point, you said it at the top, I believe Jennifer's sister Bonnie said called him satan in the courtroom. Satan is in this room, and Satan stole weddings, graduations, all for temporary material wealth.
00:13:59
Speaker 1: I don't get it. This is this is the little girl in particular. Oh, it's incomprehensible what he has done. And into you were saying earlier, Rose, you're mourning like somebody's gone, But you're mourning what could have been. You're mourning what those kids could have become. You're mourning what kids they could have had. You're mourning what weddings you could have seen. You're mourning what graduations. You're mourning everything that did not take place because of your action. Robes. I would love if somebody to study this guy. You cannot does not We've heard about some horrific murders and murderers and serial killers and all kinds of stuff because I was a bad dude. He was messed up in the head. Robes. You can't do this to an eight year old kid and be okay in the head.
00:14:44
Speaker 2: No, it's not possible.
00:14:45
Speaker 3: And I know you were mentioning all the and they talked about how many days in the calendar year they suffer. This happened two days before Thanksgiving. By the way, so holiday's gone done. Now you've got all the birthdays and the anniversaries and the celebrations in any other holiday. But they mentioned, I believe the mom said this, that Jennifer and Keith were actually born.
00:15:09
Speaker 2: On the same day.
00:15:09
Speaker 3: They had the same birthday, And she said, and now they have the same death day.
00:15:13
Speaker 2: They came into the world and left the world on.
00:15:15
Speaker 3: The same day. That that stuck with me. Just how unnecessary all of this is. And these poor, these poor family members left, They said. There isn't a day that goes by, There isn't an hour that goes by that she doesn't think about. Obviously the beautiful family that they lost, but just how they left this.
00:15:37
Speaker 2: World with such fear and such.
00:15:39
Speaker 1: Terror, and all this was over money. He had a house of cars, they said, that was falling down and it was imminent and he had to do something or he was going to be found out. His whole life, his old livelihood, his way of life was going to be blown up. And he decides to go kill this family, sets fire to that home, goes back to his house, sets fire to that home in some way to try to cover up or try to at least make it look like somebody was targeting the two families and that's why the arson and all that's in there. But it was as an incomprehensible crime.
00:16:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, and he implied on trial, not implied during trial. His defense was that his other brother was the one responsible. So he murders one brother and tries and maligns the other and says that he's the one who killed a brother, not him. I mean, he really is probably the worst sibling that has ever existed.
00:16:30
Speaker 1: And with that, his defense team was in the courtroom as well. They had a moment to speak and they I don't know what she could actually say. She just died. You don't even know why she was speaking when she said, my job here is to represent him, and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. But she said he does still maintain his innocence. But when time came for Paul Canaro to speak, he was asked and then asked again. We'll tell you the only words we heard Paul Canaro speak in court today. Stay here, all right, we continue here on the sam Me and TJ just want to follow up, let you know quickly here as we wrap what Paul Canaro did say in court today, Robes, I sat up. I don't know what I was expecting, but I don't know if I was hopeful even, but you sit up. And the judge asked him if he had anything he wanted to say, and I guess we were holding our breath.
00:17:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, he said, no, your honor, nothing. I mean he even kind of pronounced nothing. And I'm curious what your take was on his demeanor because as we were listening to this powerful, these powerful victim impact statements from Jennifer's mom, from Jennifer's sister, what would you how would you describe Paul Canaro's demeanor? Because the camera would pan back over to him and zoom in while they were saying just gutting things.
00:18:00
Speaker 2: How would you describe his.
00:18:01
Speaker 1: Face bordering on doing a great impression of a human being. We saw him during the trial, of course, and he sat no facial expression, that was nothing to him and there coming in all the v next sweaters and all the nothing to him today. I actually turned to you at one point said, is there emotion on his face? And we don't want to go as far as saying he was close to crying or breaking down, but the only time it looked, how do you want to use the word softening, But there was something to him that suggested he might be a human being capable of some emotion. It was only a slight hint of that, and it was only for a moment. I think it was when the mom or the sister I think of the.
00:18:44
Speaker 2: Mom It was the mom I believe, and I only could see it. There was a little bit.
00:18:48
Speaker 3: Of his bottom lip I felt like moved slightly and I was looking at his throat like he was swallowing a lot, like he was he was experiencing anxiety, but he didn't want to show it.
00:18:59
Speaker 1: I was.
00:19:00
Speaker 2: I was blown away, babe.
00:19:01
Speaker 3: When the judge, as we pointed out, was going through just this almost impossible to listen to, moment by moment scenario of what Paul Canaro did to his family members, and he was stonefaced. That shocked me, did you. I didn't see any emotion when the judge was going over just unthinkable acts of horrific, monstrous violence, and he did not appear to flinch.
00:19:30
Speaker 1: That is when he went back to the Paul Canaro we saw during the trial, he did not at all. While we're sitting here in tears and breaking down in our chairs. And we're in New York right and having nothing. We're not there, we're not a family member. We couldn't even stand to hear some of the stuff the judge was saying.
00:19:49
Speaker 3: To my stomach, he felt sick, and he just sat there and he almost looked defiant. And I think what he's told him, Well, I'm innocent, so you can go ahead and say all these things, but I'm not the one who did them. I could almost see his brain telling himself that, because that's the only way you could keep a stoic facial expression while you heard this horrific crime unfold.
00:20:16
Speaker 1: And well with the day, the judge said, he has what forty five days to appeal, I think it is, and then even after that, you can appeal. You got thirty more days to appeal if you can show some exception. Blah blah blah. Anyway, we don't know if he's going to appeal. He says he maintains his innocence, so maybe there will be one. But what a day in Cord, A horrific day in coord But man, I hope that this can least start start the process. I guess a piece of some kind, but what if there is an appeal, they got to keep showing up to hearings.
00:20:47
Speaker 2: That's the tough part.
00:20:47
Speaker 3: That is the tough part for victims that we've seen the way our justice system work in it the way it has to work to make sure we have the right people behind bars. But yes, this family is now probably in for decades of hearings and appeal and just really dedicating their lives to make sure that Paul Canaro in fact does not ever get out of his jail sale for the rest.
00:21:09
Speaker 1: Of his life, all right, And that is what has been to Terrio. What would you think. I kind of missed the Joe talking so much, But to say, the life sentences, you get four of them in their consecutive.
00:21:18
Speaker 2: Consecutive, ain't no way he's getting out of jail.
00:21:22
Speaker 1: So after you serve your life and die, then you got to serve again and die. I then got to serve. That's that's a hell of a sentence.
00:21:31
Speaker 2: But I can't forget the eighteen years for the other.
00:21:33
Speaker 1: Charge in an addition too, once you get through the four life because yeah, so he's not getting out of prison. Bef Which one to give the update on a story we followed very closely and certainly wanted to button it up here with sentence the day for Paul Canaro for consecutive life sentences for killing his brother, his brother's wife, and his own niece and nephew. I always appreciate you folks spending some time with us someone dear Amy Robock, I'm TJ. Holmes. We'll talk to you all soon, Nam
Speaker 1: Hey, folks, it is Tuesday, May nineteenth, and just a short time ago somebody called him Satan in court, and just a short time after that, the judge gave him four life sentences without the possibility of parole. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. This was a case we followed closely. This was a horrific case of a man essentially slaughtered his brother, his brother's wife, and his brother's two kids, his own niece and nephew who are eleven and eight years old. Robes. There wasn't supposed to be sentencing for Paul Canaro. That was supposed to be a lot of mystery. We knew what sentence he was going to get, but this was still a drama filled day in court.
00:00:44
Speaker 2: It really really was.
00:00:46
Speaker 3: And look, this is an opportunity at sentencing, even though we knew there was a mandatory sentencing guideline for Paul Canaro given the atrociousness of the crimes he committed, and we can get into that. To remind you, this was the Colt's Neck murder trial, and we followed this day in and day out, and it was hard to listen to.
00:01:06
Speaker 2: But today this was the opportunity.
00:01:09
Speaker 3: For the family, members of the entire family he.
00:01:13
Speaker 2: Took out to speak up.
00:01:16
Speaker 3: They are always told not to direct their words towards the defendant, towards Paul Canaro, but instead directed towards the judge. But they had powerful words about Paul Canaro. And I also appreciated how much of what they said about the people who we lost, not just the lives that were taken out, but the possibility the future lives that were taken away, All of the possibilities that those young kids had ahead of them, all of that was taken away. It was it was hard to keep a dry eye listening to their statements.
00:01:53
Speaker 1: It was very hard to hear a lot of what the judge actually said before the sentencing we will explain, but just the reminder here, Paul Canaro and this crime was seven plus years ago, seven plus years ago, a family has been waiting for this day and for this justice. Again, you are talking about him slaughtering his own niece and nephew who are eight and eleven. It's an incomprehensible crime. And today finally the families were able to hear the sentence. And again we should explain seven years there were a bunch of delays, just legal back and forth, but it was COVID COCHD has well gotten in there and everything got delayed. This has been a long time waiting for this time.
00:02:30
Speaker 2: You use the word slaughter.
00:02:31
Speaker 3: That word was used often today and also this phrase an avalanche of evidence. And despite this avalanche of evidence and the viciousness of the crime, the premeditation this crime took still to this day, Paul Canaro claims he's innocent, maintains his innocence, and that really upset the family members and the judge himself too, saying, you won't even give this family that, you won't even admit it, and you won't apologize or show any remorse for this.
00:03:05
Speaker 1: And he had an opportunity to do all those things you mentioned today and he did not. He did speak in court. We will let you hear the few words he did have to say here in just a bit. But this was a day that we did have a packed room in the courthouse. I didn't actually see an empty seat in there. Folks packed for this day. But they brought him in and different today rose because during his trial we saw him come in and out, and he was allowed to wear street clothes. He was allowed to dress in appropriate way to present himself to the jury. Not the case today. He has been convicted and he walked in today and he didn't sit. Also is worth noting he wasn't sitting. He was by himself sitting in the court today.
00:03:42
Speaker 3: Yeah, he was by himself, flanked, I believe, with three police officers behind him.
00:03:45
Speaker 2: He was shackled.
00:03:46
Speaker 3: He was in yellow prison garb, just whatever they hand out there for prisoners, and his defense team was actually on the other side of where he was standing. So yes, he was removed basically from the rest of the courtroom and in a bright yellow jumpsuit.
00:04:04
Speaker 1: And he sat there for and he had to for quite a while. Was the hearing that started, what was it eight thirty eastern times? Do I have that right? Road? Eight thirty Eastern time ended up going about two hours. We weren't expecting it to go that long. In fact, when we watched these roads, we think they might go a while because of the victim impact statements. Well those were short and to the point today and very few speakers. It was the judge who ended up taking up most of the time today.
00:04:30
Speaker 2: I have to say I was shocked by the judge.
00:04:33
Speaker 3: Look, we have been following a lot of trials, and throughout our careers we follow trials.
00:04:37
Speaker 2: Every judge is different, every courtroom is different.
00:04:40
Speaker 3: But I have never seen a judge go through and painstakingly go through the horrific nature of this crime, beat by beat, moment by moment.
00:04:52
Speaker 2: He multiple times.
00:04:54
Speaker 3: Went into excruciating detail about what Paul Canara was convicted of doing, and especially to his young niece.
00:05:02
Speaker 2: That was stomach turning. I actually couldn't imagine.
00:05:06
Speaker 3: Being the grandmother, make me cry, being the grandmother, being the sister, and listening to what happened to my beautiful family like it was awful to listen to.
00:05:19
Speaker 1: It got to a point I almost thought it was inappropriate. Actually one of the jukes I did too. I wanted him to stop, and I understand what he was. I guess you have to put this stuff on the record. He has to explain why he's making legal determinations and why aggravating factors, right, you know, I get it. But we've a lot of trials. I ain't heard anything like this, And to be honest with you, maybe I haven't heard anything from a judge like this because quite frankly, I haven't really heard of a crime like this.
00:05:42
Speaker 2: That's a really good point, babe. I don't know if I've ever heard it.
00:05:45
Speaker 3: Described how a grown man who was known as Uncle Paul to this little girl and little boy could stab an eight year old forty times and once through her naval cavity. I mean he went into that detail, crushing her skull with a knife.
00:06:03
Speaker 2: I mean, this is what the judge was reading aloud.
00:06:06
Speaker 3: And yes, I was imagining how difficult it would be to be a family member. But I also was thinking, perhaps, I know there were legal reasons, but could it have also been punitive to Paul Canaro? Like the judge wanted him to relive it, wanted him to hear it, wanted him to experience the shame and guilt and pain of what he did, and he wanted him to stand there while he recounted every move Paul Canaro made.
00:06:31
Speaker 1: And to that point he was standing there for quite a while. World. I would say it was certainly a half hour, but it might have been forty five minutes.
00:06:37
Speaker 2: I think it was over a half an hour to.
00:06:39
Speaker 1: Give him the sentence. So Canaro has to stand and the judge Reid goes through count after count after count, crime after crime after crime, detail after detail about horrific it was, and finally he gets to the point and he gives him his sentence and wrote, there was I think seventeen counts that he was found guilty of. Of course the major ones have to do with murder, but there were others. But Rose's we knew this was going in. He's never getting out of prison.
00:07:05
Speaker 3: Yes, because beyond beyond just the shouldn't say just, but beyond the quadruple homicide convictions. He also then set their home on fire, and in fact they pointed out the little girl, the eight year old, died actually in part from the fire itself, so she didn't even die by all of those vicious wounds, just to add to how horrible her death must have been. But yes, eighteen years for theft, eighteen years for arson, eighteen years for arson because he also said his own home on fire to try and make it look like both he and his brother were being targeted, and he got four life sentences and they were consecutive sentences without.
00:07:47
Speaker 2: The possibility of paroles.
00:07:48
Speaker 3: So aka this man, I believe the judge said something like your permanent address from here on out is the Department of Corrections. You will never live anywhere else in your life.
00:08:00
Speaker 1: Before he got to all he wanted to say, there were victim impact statements. Now he was saying the judge, we were asking questions because he sounded like he wanted to keep it short. He didn't want everybody's to stand up, or he said, I've read through all the Apparently a bunch of letters and things came in, and we understand that. But on behalf of the victims, there were what three people only that went up. It was a friend of someone who was a coworker of Keith Canaro who was the victim, and then the mom and the sister of Jennifer Jennifer Canaro, who of course is the wife of Keith. And I think, without question, I think the mom was the most powerful and stirring statement we heard today.
00:08:42
Speaker 3: Just hearing you say that, I got chills from head to toe because she showed such strength.
00:08:47
Speaker 2: I was so impressed.
00:08:49
Speaker 3: She's been waiting seven years for this day and she said that. And she talked about how Paul Canaro stole the source of joy and happiness in our lives and replaced it with bottomless sadness sorrow and grief, and they talked about both the mom and the sister talked about how the father of Jennifer and the grandfather of those children died before getting to this day, and that was exceptionally sad because they had to wait.
00:09:15
Speaker 2: So long for this day in court.
00:09:18
Speaker 3: He didn't get to see it through to this day, and that was an added sadness to an already horrific situation.
00:09:24
Speaker 1: She was the mom was really powerful, and she was the most emotional person of the day. But the motion was anger right, and she wasn't up there just she was pissed and wanted to get this office chest.
00:09:35
Speaker 3: One of I think the most powerful things. She said, well, there were several things, but this stood out. One thousand years would not be enough. He do, man, I understand that. But when she said, your like, your niece and nephew were looking at their uncle Paul killing them, I mean, she really brought it home.
00:09:54
Speaker 2: He discussed us.
00:09:56
Speaker 3: He represents the very worst of humanity, and she there were times where she paused and she she almost I mean she yelled, I mean she was she raised her voice sternly to say that he was pure evil.
00:10:12
Speaker 1: You know, it's uh, we yes, we end up seeing a lot of these. I never felt a moment where she was going to break down and eat it a tissue. She was strong, she was upset, Yes she was emotional, but she was strong, and she's been waiting seven years, like you said, for this, Robes. And then the sister gets up there, and it's hard to understand when you think that's four people, that's four birthdays, that's Thanksgiving, Christmas, you have if you go through a year, think of all the times in somebody else's family you're in contact constantly because something momentous is happening. These kids were eight and eleven. Eight and eleven, there's a lifetime of even just middle school graduation. They don't even have to go to high school. Throw on the birthday, she said, an entire branch of our family was erased. He took out people who were going to produce possibly more kids, more grandkids, cousins, and you wipe out a branch of a family, and you're a family member that did it. She said that it brought things home in a way to me, Robes that you cannot understand. And who was the judge making the point like you killed your brother, you could have left.
00:11:29
Speaker 2: Why'd you have to go in and kill his wife? You kill your niece and nephew.
00:11:35
Speaker 1: Even that the wife you could have left. What Robes there is? It's an incomparence. There's nobody will ever get me to understand how what they describe happened to this little girl and that little boy. To understand how anybody, certainly a relative, is capable of that. It is impossible to understand.
00:11:54
Speaker 3: Yeah, when you hear this little jesse and eleven year old is stabbed I think they said eleven times, and that Sophia was stabbed forty times? How do you do that to not just anyone's child, but your own flesh and blood, your own relatives, And to do it that way is so vicious, That is rage. That is they've talked about jealousy, they talked about greed.
00:12:17
Speaker 1: She's eight and fifty pounds. It's impossible, Robes to comprehend how anybody is capable of that. I'm telling you, I do not. I can't look at him and just say he's a bad guy or he's a monster. Nope, this goes well beyond Robes. There is something else happening here. That is he might be the devil. Well like Robes, it's impossible to understand fifty pound girl and you stab her forty times to the point that the knife penetrates her nasal cavity. Now, Robes, it goes through her her face in such a way. She's fifty pounds, eight year old and is your niece, Robes, I'm there. That's that I would like to understand this. I'd like to understand that he is not normal. Something else is happening here and he needs to be studied. That you cannot do.
00:13:09
Speaker 2: That people and to live a life.
00:13:12
Speaker 3: He was a father of two daughters and a husband, So this isn't somebody who was an outlier, who had a troubled life, who was always no. He was a family man. So he understands intrinsically what that bond is and what that role is. So that to me, just the fact that he was able and truly I would say, leading a double life, because if that other side of him was there all along, it had to be he then was obviously pretending to be something that he wasn't. And to your point, you said it at the top, I believe Jennifer's sister Bonnie said called him satan in the courtroom. Satan is in this room, and Satan stole weddings, graduations, all for temporary material wealth.
00:13:59
Speaker 1: I don't get it. This is this is the little girl in particular. Oh, it's incomprehensible what he has done. And into you were saying earlier, Rose, you're mourning like somebody's gone, But you're mourning what could have been. You're mourning what those kids could have become. You're mourning what kids they could have had. You're mourning what weddings you could have seen. You're mourning what graduations. You're mourning everything that did not take place because of your action. Robes. I would love if somebody to study this guy. You cannot does not We've heard about some horrific murders and murderers and serial killers and all kinds of stuff because I was a bad dude. He was messed up in the head. Robes. You can't do this to an eight year old kid and be okay in the head.
00:14:44
Speaker 2: No, it's not possible.
00:14:45
Speaker 3: And I know you were mentioning all the and they talked about how many days in the calendar year they suffer. This happened two days before Thanksgiving. By the way, so holiday's gone done. Now you've got all the birthdays and the anniversaries and the celebrations in any other holiday. But they mentioned, I believe the mom said this, that Jennifer and Keith were actually born.
00:15:09
Speaker 2: On the same day.
00:15:09
Speaker 3: They had the same birthday, And she said, and now they have the same death day.
00:15:13
Speaker 2: They came into the world and left the world on.
00:15:15
Speaker 3: The same day. That that stuck with me. Just how unnecessary all of this is. And these poor, these poor family members left, They said. There isn't a day that goes by, There isn't an hour that goes by that she doesn't think about. Obviously the beautiful family that they lost, but just how they left this.
00:15:37
Speaker 2: World with such fear and such.
00:15:39
Speaker 1: Terror, and all this was over money. He had a house of cars, they said, that was falling down and it was imminent and he had to do something or he was going to be found out. His whole life, his old livelihood, his way of life was going to be blown up. And he decides to go kill this family, sets fire to that home, goes back to his house, sets fire to that home in some way to try to cover up or try to at least make it look like somebody was targeting the two families and that's why the arson and all that's in there. But it was as an incomprehensible crime.
00:16:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, and he implied on trial, not implied during trial. His defense was that his other brother was the one responsible. So he murders one brother and tries and maligns the other and says that he's the one who killed a brother, not him. I mean, he really is probably the worst sibling that has ever existed.
00:16:30
Speaker 1: And with that, his defense team was in the courtroom as well. They had a moment to speak and they I don't know what she could actually say. She just died. You don't even know why she was speaking when she said, my job here is to represent him, and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. But she said he does still maintain his innocence. But when time came for Paul Canaro to speak, he was asked and then asked again. We'll tell you the only words we heard Paul Canaro speak in court today. Stay here, all right, we continue here on the sam Me and TJ just want to follow up, let you know quickly here as we wrap what Paul Canaro did say in court today, Robes, I sat up. I don't know what I was expecting, but I don't know if I was hopeful even, but you sit up. And the judge asked him if he had anything he wanted to say, and I guess we were holding our breath.
00:17:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, he said, no, your honor, nothing. I mean he even kind of pronounced nothing. And I'm curious what your take was on his demeanor because as we were listening to this powerful, these powerful victim impact statements from Jennifer's mom, from Jennifer's sister, what would you how would you describe Paul Canaro's demeanor? Because the camera would pan back over to him and zoom in while they were saying just gutting things.
00:18:00
Speaker 2: How would you describe his.
00:18:01
Speaker 1: Face bordering on doing a great impression of a human being. We saw him during the trial, of course, and he sat no facial expression, that was nothing to him and there coming in all the v next sweaters and all the nothing to him today. I actually turned to you at one point said, is there emotion on his face? And we don't want to go as far as saying he was close to crying or breaking down, but the only time it looked, how do you want to use the word softening, But there was something to him that suggested he might be a human being capable of some emotion. It was only a slight hint of that, and it was only for a moment. I think it was when the mom or the sister I think of the.
00:18:44
Speaker 2: Mom It was the mom I believe, and I only could see it. There was a little bit.
00:18:48
Speaker 3: Of his bottom lip I felt like moved slightly and I was looking at his throat like he was swallowing a lot, like he was he was experiencing anxiety, but he didn't want to show it.
00:18:59
Speaker 1: I was.
00:19:00
Speaker 2: I was blown away, babe.
00:19:01
Speaker 3: When the judge, as we pointed out, was going through just this almost impossible to listen to, moment by moment scenario of what Paul Canaro did to his family members, and he was stonefaced. That shocked me, did you. I didn't see any emotion when the judge was going over just unthinkable acts of horrific, monstrous violence, and he did not appear to flinch.
00:19:30
Speaker 1: That is when he went back to the Paul Canaro we saw during the trial, he did not at all. While we're sitting here in tears and breaking down in our chairs. And we're in New York right and having nothing. We're not there, we're not a family member. We couldn't even stand to hear some of the stuff the judge was saying.
00:19:49
Speaker 3: To my stomach, he felt sick, and he just sat there and he almost looked defiant. And I think what he's told him, Well, I'm innocent, so you can go ahead and say all these things, but I'm not the one who did them. I could almost see his brain telling himself that, because that's the only way you could keep a stoic facial expression while you heard this horrific crime unfold.
00:20:16
Speaker 1: And well with the day, the judge said, he has what forty five days to appeal, I think it is, and then even after that, you can appeal. You got thirty more days to appeal if you can show some exception. Blah blah blah. Anyway, we don't know if he's going to appeal. He says he maintains his innocence, so maybe there will be one. But what a day in Cord, A horrific day in coord But man, I hope that this can least start start the process. I guess a piece of some kind, but what if there is an appeal, they got to keep showing up to hearings.
00:20:47
Speaker 2: That's the tough part.
00:20:47
Speaker 3: That is the tough part for victims that we've seen the way our justice system work in it the way it has to work to make sure we have the right people behind bars. But yes, this family is now probably in for decades of hearings and appeal and just really dedicating their lives to make sure that Paul Canaro in fact does not ever get out of his jail sale for the rest.
00:21:09
Speaker 1: Of his life, all right, And that is what has been to Terrio. What would you think. I kind of missed the Joe talking so much, But to say, the life sentences, you get four of them in their consecutive.
00:21:18
Speaker 2: Consecutive, ain't no way he's getting out of jail.
00:21:22
Speaker 1: So after you serve your life and die, then you got to serve again and die. I then got to serve. That's that's a hell of a sentence.
00:21:31
Speaker 2: But I can't forget the eighteen years for the other.
00:21:33
Speaker 1: Charge in an addition too, once you get through the four life because yeah, so he's not getting out of prison. Bef Which one to give the update on a story we followed very closely and certainly wanted to button it up here with sentence the day for Paul Canaro for consecutive life sentences for killing his brother, his brother's wife, and his own niece and nephew. I always appreciate you folks spending some time with us someone dear Amy Robock, I'm TJ. Holmes. We'll talk to you all soon, Nam