The Jury Heard the 911 Call. The Neighbor Heard Nothing.

"Oh my god, there's blood here. It's dead. Somebody is dead here."

That's what the jury heard today. Not from a witness recounting what happened years ago. From the actual 911 call, recorded in real time as Dr. Boris Volshteyn discovered his friend Keith Caneiro's body on the front lawn of the family's Colts Neck mansion.

Day 5 of the Paul Caneiro quadruple murder trial brought one of those moments that reminds you this isn't just a case file. Four people died in that house two days before Thanksgiving 2018. Keith. His wife Jennifer. Their kids Jesse, 11, and Sophia, 8. And today, the man who found Keith's body had to relive it on the witness stand.

The Witness Who Knew the Family

Dr. Volshteyn wasn't just a neighbor. He was a friend. His daughter used to play with Sophia. He knew which door was always unlocked because that's the one he'd use when bringing his kid over for playdates. When his landscaper called around noon that day, worried about smoke coming from the Caneiro property, Volshteyn's first thought was that Keith was burning leaves in his backyard barrel. He'd seen him do it before.

So he drove over. Expecting to find his friend. Instead, he found smoke pouring from inside the house. He opened that familiar service door. Thick clouds of smoke. He yelled inside. Nobody answered.

Then he went back to his truck to call 911. And as he stepped up into the cab, he turned around. And there, in the bushes, was a body.

The 911 operator told him to leave. Someone might still be on the property.

What the Defense Got

The prosecution got their emotional moment. That 911 call is devastating. It puts the jury right there at the moment of discovery.

But the defense got something too. Maybe something bigger.

Dr. Volshteyn lived adjacent to the Caneiro property. His house shared a border with theirs. And on cross examination, the defense asked a simple question: Were you home that night?

Yes.

Did you hear any gunshots?

No.

Any screaming? Any yelling? Any loud struggles?

No. Nothing.

Four people were allegedly murdered in that house. Keith was shot five times, including four times in the head. Jennifer was shot and stabbed. The children were stabbed. And the neighbor who lived right next door heard absolutely nothing.

The defense also spent time establishing the geography around the property. Bodies of water. One lane bridges. Wooded areas. Places where, theoretically, evidence could be disposed of. When the defense attorney asked if you could "toss anything out the window" while driving over one of those bridges, the prosecution objected and the judge sustained it. But the jury heard the question.

What It Means

This is what trials are. Competing narratives built from the same facts.

The prosecution wants you to feel the horror of that 911 call. To understand that a man found his friend dead on the lawn while four people, including two children, were burning inside that house.

The defense wants you to ask questions. How does a quadruple murder happen in a wealthy neighborhood and the neighbor next door hears nothing? What else might explain this? Who else might have had access to those roads, those waterways, those wooded areas?

Paul Caneiro has maintained his innocence from the beginning. He hasn't testified. He doesn't have to. The burden is entirely on the state to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he killed his brother, his sister in law, and their two children.

Today's testimony gave the jury something to feel. It also gave them something to think about.

▶️ WATCH NOW Caneiro Murder Trial: Raw 911 Call Captures Moment Body Was Found

We're just getting started on Day 5. Detective Zerillo's testimony was paused to take this witness out of turn, and the judge indicated at least one more witness will be called before they return to him. I'll have more coverage as the day continues.