MANSION SLAY SIB IN COURT

Pleads not guilty in family massacre

The New Jersey man accused in the mansion slayings of his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew limped into a courtroom Friday and pleaded not guilty to murder charges.

Paul Caneiro wore a green jail outfit and handcuffs in Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold for his first court appearance since being charged in the Nov. 20 deaths of his brother Keith Caneiro, Keith’s wife, Jennifer, 45, and their children, Sophia, 8, and Jesse, 11.

His lawyer, Robert Honecker Jr., entered not-guilty pleas on his client’s behalf after the prosecutor read aloud the charges set forth in two criminal complaints.

Paul Caneiro, 51, also charged with arson, didn’t put up a fight for bail.

“Your honor, my client has indicated that he wishes to consent and waive his right to have a detention hearing,” Honecker told Judge James McGann as Caneiro sat in the jury box, looking dazed and downcast.

Caneiro kept mostly silent except to answer questions the judge asked after reading his rights.

Asked if he had taken drugs or alcohol on Friday, he said, “I have not.”

He’s due back in court on Jan. 30

Caneiro’s other lawyer, Mitchell Ansell, said his client was left with a limp from a “bad car accident several years ago” and suffers from back problems.

Prosecutors announced the murder charges against Caneiro on Thursday, alleging he shot Keith Caneiro outside Keith’s Colts Neck mansion before storming in and repeatedly stabbing Jennifer and the two children.

Paul Caneiro then set fire to the house and drove to his own home in Ocean Township and set it on fire as well, to make it look as if his family, too, were targeted by an attack.

His wife, Susan, and adult daughters, Katelyn and Marissa, were in the home at the time but escaped.

The Caneiro brothers were partners in two Asbury Parkbased IT ventures — Square One and Jay-Martin Consulting. Prosecutors claim Paul’s motive in the murders was financial and tied to the businesses.