Crypto trader Andre Zachary Rebelo accused of killing his mum to claim life insurance learns his fate

A crypto trader and former partner of a glamorous Instagram model has been found guilty of murdering his mother to claim half a million dollars in life insurance.

Andre Zachary Rebelo, 28, showed little emotion other than a slight smile and raised eyebrows as the 12-member jury announced their verdict on Thursday after two days of deliberation following a marathon murder trial in the Supreme Court of WA.

Colleen Rebelo, 58, was found dead in the shower by her youngest son at her home in Bicton in Perth’s south-west on May 25, 2020.

Rebelo’s father Antonio was among those present in the packed courtroom. the Western Australia reported.

Prosecutors argued that Ms. Rebelo was a “healthy and happy” woman who could not have died of natural causes or suicide.

Although a coroner could not rule on a definitive cause of death, they suggested Ms Rebelo may have been asphyxiated.

At the time of the tragedy, Rebelo and his former influencer partner Grace Piscopo, who has more than a million Instagram followers, appeared to be living a carefree lifestyle of luxury.

Social media posts showed them enjoying luxury holidays, driving flashy cars and living in pampered luxury.

However, it was all financed by credit, prompting Rebelo to attempt to cash in on a $500,000 life insurance policy he had taken out and taken out in his mother’s name just days before her death.

Police discovered that Ms Rebelo’s life was insured for $1.5 million under three separate policies, with Rebelo being the beneficiary of two policies.

Rebelo’s twin sister and his two brothers said they knew nothing about the insurance policies their mother had taken out before she died.

Ms Piscopo also took the stand during the eight-week trial, saying Rebelo told her he was with his mother on the morning of her death.

However, months later secretly recorded conversations between the pair suggested this was untrue and that he was hiding his location from her.

Leading up to his mother’s death, Rebelo owed more than $40,000 on a personal loan and credit card debt.

His then partner, Mrs Piscopo, owed $70,000 on a car and $40,000 to the Australian Taxation Office, although she was unaware of this because Rebelo managed the couple’s finances.

They even struggled to pay the rent on their townhouse in Beaconsfield in Perth’s south-west.

Prosecutors argued that Rebelo came up with “a terrible plan; to resolve this situation’.

It showed that he had created an email address in his mother’s name on May 1, 2020 and then took out a life insurance policy in her name on May 18.

On May 19, he created a new policy and a third on May 20 without telling anyone else.

Rebelo visited his mother on the morning of May 25 around 10:30 am and stayed for an hour.

Two hours later, his mother’s body was found bent over in the shower, still wearing her gold jewelry and mascara.

The discovery was made by Rebelo’s youngest brother Fabian, who had expected the devoted mother to pick him up from work.

Three days later, Rebelo tried to claim the largest policy, worth $500,000 with RAC, that he had taken out in his mother’s name.

To this end, he took away his mother’s driver’s license without his brother’s knowledge and made a false version of her will, naming himself the sole beneficiary.

He also created fake medical reports from Ms. Rebelo’s psychologist, along with a bizarre AI-generated voicemail and even a forged coroner’s report, complete with signature, which listed the cause of death as a berry aneurysm.

However, the insurance staff became suspicious and alerted the police.

When police picked up Rebelo and Ms. Piscopo for questioning, they discovered that he had promised her that $500,000 would appear in their account a week before his mother’s death due to his cryptocurrency trading.

Rebelo maintained his innocence throughout the trial.

Police were able to determine Rebelo’s location from his phone at his mother’s home on the morning of her death.

However, he testified that he had been there to drop off clothes for his brother and stayed for a coffee and a chat.

He told the court that he decided to take out a life insurance policy for the benefit of the entire family, but he defrauded the insurers because he thought his mother had committed suicide, which led to his forgeries.

Rebelo’s father Antonio told reporters outside court that he still believed in his son’s innocence.

‘It’s sad and disappointing for everyone. Very sad for everyone,” he said,

Rebelo will be sentenced in April next year. He remains behind bars.