Autopsy reveals injuries on mum’s body after she was allegedly murdered by her son for money

An autopsy revealed Colleen Rebelo had injuries on her body at the time of her death, including bruising, abrasions and blood spots, a court has been told.

A forensic psychologist who performed an autopsy on Colleen Rebelo said he could not rule out the mother of four died of asphyxia.

Forensic pathologist Reimar Junckerstorff has told the WA Supreme Court it was possible people could die from asphyxia, or smothering, without any noticeable signs on their body or brain post mortem.

“You can strike people and not leave a bruise, it is less common,” he told the WA Supreme Court on Thursday.

Dr Junckerstorff was giving evidence in the murder trial of Andre Zachary Rebelo, who is accused of killing his mother to gain money from life insurance policies he took out against her in the week before she died.

He has pleaded not guilty to her murder.

The forensic pathologist agreed with defence lawyer Anthony Elliott if Ms Rebelo had been smothered it would be possible she would have injuries such as defensive wounds, but he did not observe those types of injuries on her body.

He said it was more common for police to perform trace work and take fingernail scrapings rather than pathologists.

How Ms Rebelo died is still unknown, with Dr Junckerstorff telling the court auxiliary testing on her body did not help determine the cause of her death.

Andre Zachary Rebelo, with his ex-partner model Gracie Piscopo, has been charged with murdering his mother Colleen Rebelo in May 2020. Picture: Instagram

Dr Junckerstorff performed an autopsy on Ms Rebelo three days after she died, telling the court she had blood spots on her eyelids that would be present with asphyxia, CPR, a chest injury or neck compression.

Dr Junckerstorff said blood spots on the eyelids occurred when there had been an obstruction to the nose or mouth so a person could not breathe.

He performed a CT scan of Ms Rebelo’s body which revealed she did not have any bleeding on the brain, skull fractures or skeletal injuries.

He found injuries on her face and body including bruising and an abrasion on her eyebrows, along with some bruising and abrasions on her hands, arms and legs.

When asked by Mr Elliott if the bruise on her eyebrow could have come from a blow from a fist he responded, “yes.”

Dr Junckerstorff told the court bruises on the back of Ms Rebelo’s left hand, wrist and forearm could have come from force or grabbing, and injuries around her eyebrows were consistent with a collapse type injury.

Andre Zachary Rebelo, pictured with his former de facto Grace Piscopo, pleaded guilty to submitting forged documents to one of the insurers he took out a life insurance policy against his mother. Picture: Instagram

Ms Rebelo was found dead in her Bicton home, in Perth’s southwest on May 25, 2020 by her youngest son Fabian after she failed to pick him up from work that day.

Andre Zachary Rebelo was charged with his mother’s murder when police uncovered he took out three life insurance policies against her in the week before her death.

Days after Ms Rebelo died, Mr Rebelo started the claims process to access the premiums in which he stood to gain $1.15m.

He also submitted forged documents to one of the insurers, including false medical information about his mother, a fake coroner’s report about her death and her last will and testament.

Colleen Rebelo’s GP Dr Niall Dermott Barrett told the WA Supreme Court it was unlikely she died from medical condition she had been living with for some time. Picture: Facebook

The insurer suspected the claim was fraudulent and reported it to police.

Mr Rebelo pleaded guilty to four charges of fraud in relation to the forged documents.

Ms Rebelo’s death, while unexpected, was not treated as suspicious by first responders who were called to her home when she died.

Medical experts including Ms Rebelo’s GP Dr Niall Barrett and an endocrinologist Timothy Welborn both gave evidence in the trial, telling the court Ms Rebelo was healthy when she died.

Both witnesses said it was unlikely Ms Rebelo died suddenly or from medical conditions she had been living with at the time of her death.

The trial continues.

Originally published as Autopsy reveals injuries on mum’s body after she was allegedly murdered by her son for money