A man shockingly murdered his mother in order to collect a life insurance payout of £560,000 that he had secured just a week before her death. Andre Zachary Rebelo was convicted of killing his mother, Colleen Rebelo, aged 58, and received a 25-year prison sentence in April. He is now considering appealing the verdict.
Colleen, a mother of four, was discovered deceased in the shower of her home in Bicton, located in Perth’s south-west, on May 25, 2020. Initially, her death was not treated as suspicious until an investigation was initiated by the police following suspicions of fraudulent activity by Rebelo involving insurance policies.
Investigators found that Rebelo had obtained three life insurance policies for his mother in the week leading up to her death, naming himself as the sole beneficiary despite having siblings. Upon her passing, he stood to gain approximately £560,000 (AU$1.15M) from the policies. Subsequently, Rebelo began making claims on the policies, presenting falsified documents to the insurer.
Although Rebelo admitted to fraud, he denied committing the murder. However, a judge concluded that he had used physical force to kill his mother and then staged the scene to appear as if she had died naturally. Testimony during the trial revealed that Rebelo was in dire financial straits at the time of his mother’s death, with no income for three years and facing debt collectors.
During the trial, it was disclosed that Rebelo, a self-proclaimed cryptocurrency trader, had informed his partner of an imminent £240,000 (AU$500,000) windfall. Despite his financial troubles, he portrayed a lavish lifestyle on social media with his partner and child. The Supreme Court of Western Australia has granted Rebelo until September 25 to file an appeal.
