Accused mum killer Andre Zachary Rebelo learns fate in WA Supreme Court

The jury has handed down its verdict in the case of alleged mum killer Andre Zachary Rebelo in the WA Supreme Court.

Andre Zachary Rebelo, the man accused of killing his mother for money, has been found guilty of her murder in the WA Supreme Court.

A 12-person jury unanimously decided Rebelo murdered Colleen Rebelo in her Bicton home, in Perth’s south on May 25, 2020.

His father Antonio Rebelo was in the packed courtroom as Rebelo was led into the dock to hear the verdict on Thursday afternoon.

While Ms Rebelo’s death was sudden and unexpected, it was never treated as suspicious by first responders who attended her home on the day she died.

An autopsy conducted on her body was unable to identify what caused her death.

Colleen Rebelo’s son Andre Zachary Rebelo has been found guilty of her murder in May 2020.

It wasn’t until an employee at an insurance company suspected the crypto currency day trader was fraudulently trying to claim life insurance against his mother.

Police began investigating the circumstances surrounding Ms Rebelo’s death following a report of suspected fraud from the insurer.

Police discovered Mr Rebelo had taken out three life insurance policies against his mother in the week before she died.

Mr Rebelo made himself the sole beneficiary of those policies and stood to gain $1.15m from his mother’s death.

Days after she died he started claiming against those polices and hounded one worth $500,000.

In his pursuit of half a million dollars, Mr Rebelo provided the insurer with fake records about his mother’s death and health.

He gave the insurer phony copies of a coroner’s report, a medical report from his mother’s psychologist and her last will and testament.

He also left the insurer a voicemail message he created with an AI voice generator pretending to be his mother’s psychologist.

Andre Zachary Rebelo, who has a child with model Gracie Piscopo, has been found guilty of murdering his mother. Picture: Instagram

Mr Rebelo pleaded guilty to fraud charges, but denied he killed his mother, on the first day of the trial.

The prosecution painted a detailed picture of the “plastic fantastic” lifestyle Mr Rebelo portrayed on social media with his former partner model Grace Piscopo.

The court was told Mr Rebelo tried to keep up with Ms Piscopo who was a successful influencer with more than one million followers on social media, but was unable to repay his debts.

The jury heard the couple had a combined debt of $121,000 and funded their glamorous lifestyle with personal loans and credit cards.

State Prosecutor Brett Tooker argued Andre Rebelo had killed his mother to gain money from life insurance policies he setup against her in the days before she died. Picture: NewsWire/Philip Gostelow

But Mr Rebelo could not keep up with his financial obligations and was being pursued by debt collection agencies at the time his mother died.

The prosecution argued this led Mr Rebelo to taking out the life insurance policies against his mother then killed her to gain money from the premiums.

“To the outside world they were rich and beautiful, but the truth was different,” state prosecutor Brett Tooker said.

“Andre was in dire financial trouble, he had lived his life on credit, he had a personal loan and credit card debt of more than $40k he was being pursued by debt collection agencies at the time of his mother’s death.

“He was crypto currency day trader … he had bankrolled his social media profile.

“By May 2020 he must have thought his world was closing in around him.”

Andre Rebelo’s father, Antonio Rebelo, told reporters he was very saddened by the outcome as he left court following his son’s verdict. Picture: NewsWire

Mr Tooker said when Mr Rebelo had to pay for premiums on all three life insurance policies he took out against his mother he needed to act.

“Which is why five days later he killed his mother, then three days later started pursuing policies,” Mr Tooker told the court.

Mr Rebelo’s father Antonio later told reporters he was very saddened by the outcome as he left court.

Andre Rebelo was remanded in custody until April 4 next year when he will be sentenced in the WA Supreme Court for the murder of Colleen Rebelo and several counts of fraud.