The Perth man accused of murdering his mother just days after taking out more than $1 million worth of life insurance in her name claims he kept his pursuit of the funds secret to shield his grieving siblings from the fact she may have taken her own life.
During his second day of cross-examination on the stand at his Supreme Court trial, state prosecutor Brett Tooker put to Andre Rebelo that he killed his mother Colleen Rebelo at her Bicton home in May 2020 to access life insurance the 28-year-old maintains she asked him to take out on her behalf.
The Rebelo family: Monique, Andre with then-girlfriend Gracie Piscopo, Fabian and Colleen Rebelo. Picture: Supplied
While admitting he forged documentation and lied to insurance company personnel in his attempts to access the funds, Rebelo denied killing the 58-year-old — instead declaring he feared she committed suicide.
Andre Rebelo said he failed to inform his three grieving siblings about claims he was progressing with insurance providers ANZ, RAC and AAMI 72 hours after her death to avoid discussing the possibility she took her own life.
He admitted to deceiving the insurance providers by claiming he had no knowledge of the policies linked to his bank account, telling the court he feared the claims would be rendered invalid if the cause was suicide.
“Why would I want to involve my brother in a fraudulent scheme to get it paid out?” Rebelo told the court.
“If she had killed herself, I realised the term said the policy would be invalid.
“I was shocked and panicked and wasn’t thinking straight … I didn’t want to burden my siblings with that.”
The court was shown several transcripts of phone calls and emails Rebelo shared with insurance providers less than a week after his mother’s death in which he requested the release of funds be expedited.
Rebelo admitted to researching insurance agency personnel and engaging in emotional manipulation by telling them he would be forced to sell the family home if the funds weren’t received promptly.
He agreed his conduct over the eight-week pursuit of the funds extended to posing as a psychologist, penning a medical report to fast-track the process, and googling local lawyers to name as signatories to a forged will.
Rebelo also conceded he signed a preliminary report professing to be Coroner Michael Jenkin that ruled his mother’s sudden death the result of a “subarachnoid haemorrhage due to ruptured berry aneurysm”.
“It was fake on top of fake, wasn’t it? A fake call to confirm a fake report that you faked. It was multiple layers of deception that demonstrated how desperate you were to get paid out, isn’t that right?” state prosecutor Brett Tooker asked Rebelo.
“I was desperate to get it done, and I’m embarrassed, but I thought I was doing the right thing for my family,” Rebelo replied.
“I was acting in an irrational way. By this time, I wasn’t comfortable with all the fraudulent activities and wanted [the insurers] to pay it out quickly.”
But Rebelo, who stands accused of murdering his mother and placing her body in the shower to make it appear as if she had died of natural causes, said he was pursuing the funds for the benefit of his siblings.
He rejected Tooker’s assertions that he acted alone and intended to keep the funds for himself despite all three insurance policies listing him as the sole beneficiary.
The 28-year-old also admitted to lying “over, and over, and over again” during his first interview with police in a bid to protect himself against possible fraud charges.
Rebelo claims his mother wanted the policies to cover her remaining mortgage and to take care of her children well as Rebelo’s son Romeo — who he shares with influencer Grace Piscopo.
He stood by the claims when grilled by Tooker about monthly premiums for the three policies totalling $336, insisting his mother — who struggling financially and had placed her mortgage repayments on hold — requested them.
But the 28-year-old’s three siblings Julian, Fabian and Monique have told the court they had no knowledge of the policies taken out five days before their mother’s sudden and unexplained death.
It is the state’s case that Rebelo killed his mother between 10am and 2pm on May 25, 2020 after taking out the policies in a desperate attempt to maintain his luxurious lifestyle with Piscopo.
However, he maintains the timing was coincidental and denies he was concerned about his growing personal debts, claiming he was entitled to a portion of the income from Piscopo’s burgeoning social media business.
The trial continues.
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