Jennifer Caneiro's mom and sister speak at sentencing of family annihilator Paul Caneiro

Good morning. Your Honor, members of the court, and all of you who have worked diligently to bring justice and closure to my family, I thank you for all you have done. I believe you will do what is right and remove this killer, this monster, from society for good. I am sorry for all of us who have had to sit through those weeks and hear those horrible, gruesome details. This is what life has been for me, my husband, Velasquez, and daughter, Bonnie, ever since Paul Canero slaughtered my beautiful family, murdering his own brother, my daughter, my grandchildren, Jesse and Sophia. He stole the source of joy and happiness in our lives and replaced it with bottomless sadness, sorrow, and grief. Sadly, my husband, Velasquez, is not here today. He died without knowing that justice was done for our family. During the trial, the defense attorney once said to a witness, you don't know what you don't know. I would like to tell you what you do not know. Jennifer, my daughter, was a beautiful person. She was warm, vibrant, caring, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and most of all, a wonderful mother. She was not just loving, but accepting of everyone for who they were, which made her even more special. She loved each person in her life and brought out the best in all of us. Keith was a loving and devoted father, husband, son and brother. He had a brilliant mind and his success was only because of his incredibly hard work and doggedness. He was the son I never had, a true loving son. A man who would be there to help anyone in need. Jennifer and Keith had the same birthday and sadly now share the same day of passing. They loved each other. They each took the other's families into their lives and made it all bigger and better. Keith built that house to have a family and a beautiful place and to be a place for the families to gather. My grandson, Jesse. I wish I could have seen him grow up. He had a mind like his father's. So smart, deeply interested in history. A kindest heart, cared about everyone. Sophia, my beautiful granddaughter. So young, she loved to dance, sing, play with makeup. She put on makeup better than I did. She was joyful, spirited, and kind like her mother. Jesse would be graduating now and going to college in the fall. Sophia High School, lives stolen. There's not an hour in the day I do not think of them. And to think of them is to think about this terrible thing. How their last moments were terrifying, painful, and horrific. How each of them looked at their Uncle Paul as he killed them. Killing them in front of each other like an animal. Most days it is hard to get out of bed because of these thoughts. Every birthday, anniversary, family holiday is now filled with pain. Paul Canero's horrific and despicable actions have caused agony and grief beyond what anyone should endure in an act of pure evil. He took the life of four innocent people, his own flesh and blood. Out of greed and selfishness, he disgusts us. He represents the very worst of humanity. My family and I live with traumatic grief, depression, and anxiety. Worsened only by him dragging us through these seven years, he never once exhibited any remorse at all. Despite overwhelming evidence, he would not confess. He could have stopped this from dragging on, but no. He sits here today with his evil soul, still not admitting what he has done. He ripped the love and hope from our lives when he murdered Jennifer, Keith, Jesse, and Sophia. I hope it is impossible for him to ever, ever, ever be free. Our family he gruesomely murdered should be here in this world today making beautiful memories. A son I could call for advice, a daughter who was a part of me, my grandchildren who I could hug forever and ever. A thousand years would not be enough. Thank you everyone. Thank you very much. Your Honor, my name is Bonnie Karidis, K-A-R-I-D-I-S, and I am the sister of Jennifer Karidis-Canaro, the sister-in-law of Keith Canaro, and the proud aunt of Jesse and Sophia Canaro. Jesse was 11 years old, and Sophia just 8 at the time of their brutal murders and moments in life. An entire branch of our family was erased seven and a half years ago, two days before Thanksgiving. We are grateful to this court, to the prosecutors, law enforcement, the victims unit, witnesses and the jury who worked tirelessly to bring this case to sentencing. But my father, Vlasis Kouridis, he did not live to see this day. He passed away without knowing that there would be accountability for the loss of his family. I am here today so the court understands the staggering depth of not only what was taken from us, but who was taken. Jennifer was my younger sister, my best friend, my only sibling. I miss spending time with her. Talking to her. She talked a lot. She really liked to talk to people. Thank you. Laughing with her. Our private jokes. Thanks. Jennifer made people feel safe. She made people feel loved. She never let anyone feel alone. She was the heart of our family and a devoted mother who built her entire life around her children and anchored our family with love. I miss her every single day. Keith. Keith was the brother I never had. I could count on him for anything. I miss his advice and talking to him for hours on end. I greatly admired him. He was intelligent, driven, witty, generous, and deeply principled. He built a life of success and integrity, but more importantly, he lifted everyone around him. He adored his children, and he was raising them to be strong, kind, human beings. He was loyal to his family, committed to providing for them, and endlessly supportive of the ones he loved. Keith included and supported his older brother, Paul. But Paul became consumed by jealousy, jealous of Keith's life, his success, and the man that he was. Paul's small mind warped by jealousy and greed turned into deliberate, calculating, murderous deeds. But Paul did not just take Keith and his family's lives. He tried to steal the man, the legacy of a man whose character, compassion, and integrity he could never, ever come close to being. In his violent acts, he attempted to erase everything Keith built as a father, as a husband, as a friend, and as a human being. But Paul will never succeed at that. Never. Keith's legacy lives in every life he touched, and no act of cruelty can diminish the man he truly was. Jesse was a bright, curious, and thoughtful 11-year-old boy. He had a sharp mind, like his father, and a gentle heart. He took his role as Sophia's older brother seriously, protecting her, guiding her, and standing by her side. Jesse was remarkably tech-savvy for an 11-year-old boy. I miss the way he would confidently explain which phone was better or why one iPad would be more, made more sense than the other. He loved sharing what he knew. And I relied on his little lessons more than he ever knew. Losing his voice, his curiosity, and his guidance is a loss I feel every single day. Jesse had a whole future ahead of him. Dreams he was beginning to form, talents he was just discovering. It is devastating to know that a child so full of potential and goodness will never get the chance to grow into the man he was meant to be. Sophia was pure light. She was joyful, playful, and full of life in a way that could brighten any room. She loved to sing, dance, bake, and play. Her laughter was constant, her spirit contagious. She brought happiness wherever she went. I miss playing dolls with her, hearing her sing, watching her dance without a care in the world. She was at the beginning of everything, every dream, every milestone still ahead of her. I can only imagine the incredible young woman she would have become. I would give anything to just have one more moment playing hide and seek with Jesse and Sophia, to hear their laughter again, to see their smiles, to know they were safe. We are not just grieving who they were, we are grieving who they would have become. The sheer malice and betrayal behind this is unbearable. They were executed and tortured by someone who was family, Uncle Paul. Someone driven purely by greed and money. A home is supposed to be a sanctuary. They welcomed him into their space and he took their lives for material wealth. The calculation and selfishness required to look his own niece and nephew in the eyes and murder them, an entire family, is a level of evil that is not comprehensible. Eight-year-old Sophia fought against a grown man after watching her family destroyed. This was not only murder, it was sustained cruelty. Since that day, our lives have been shattered. Every milestone they should have had is now a painful reminder of their absence. The Satan in this room stole decades of laughter, holidays, graduations, and weddings from all of us for temporary material wealth. There is a permanent agonizing void that is filled with pain, sorrow, and grief. While my family's voices were silenced, their lives and the value of their lives should never be diminished. There is no sentence that can bring my family back, and there really is no justice in my mind for these crimes. But for a crime rooted in greed and complete disregard for human life, there must be accountability, maximum accountability. Your Honor, I respectfully request that you impose maximum sentences allowed by law. The defendant must be removed from society. Thank you for listening to my family's voice. Thank you both.