The youngest brother of a Perth man accused of murdering their mother to fund a lavish “plastic” lifestyle has relived the moment he found her unresponsive in a bathroom at the family home.
Andre Zachary Rebelo, 28, is accused of killing his 58-year-old mother in order to cash in on three life insurance policies he took out in her name a week before her death.
Prosecutor Brett Took told the WA Supreme Court that at the time of Colleen Rebelo’s death in 2020, Mr Rebelo was tens of thousands of dollars in debt after trying to maintain an extravagant lifestyle with his then-girlfriend, Instagram model and influencer Gracie Piscopo.
Mr Rebelo’s youngest brother Fabian was the first witness to give evidence in his trial for her murder, glancing only briefly at his brother in the dock as he sat down.
Slumped in shower
Fabian Rebelo, 23, told the court that on the day his mother died in May 2020, she dropped him at his work at a Bicton supermarket where he clocked on at 10am.
When she failed to pick him up at 2pm as planned, he called her 10 times, then walked 10-15 minutes to the family home.
He told the court he lived there alone with his mother, his three siblings having already moved out.
Colleen Rebelo was found dead at her home in the Perth suburb of Bicton. Her son Andre is charged with her murder. Pic date unknown. (Supplied: LinkedIn)
Upon entering the house he said he heard the shower running in her ensuite bathroom but she didn’t respond when he called out.
He entered to find her slumped over on her knees in the shower, with the water running.
Mr Rebelo then re-enacted the position of his mother for the jury, kneeling in the court and leaning against a wall in the court room.
He did this twice in different areas of the court to ensure various members of the court could see clearly, then a third time after his brother’s lawyer raised questions about the position of his arms.
No injuries detected
Fabian Rebelo said he turned off the water, which he said was warm, but noticed his mother’s face and at least one hand were blue when he pulled her from the shower and there was blood in her mouth and coming from her nose.
“I walked in and went into the bathroom, saw she was obviously not well, up against the side of the bathroom wall,” he said.
“I pulled her out and called triple zero, and that was it.”
He said he attempted CPR until ambulance officers arrived.
Andre Rebelo has admitted forging his mother’s will, but the jury at his trial has been warned this does not infer guilt on the murder charge. (Supplied: Anne Barnetson)
One of those officers told the court he thought Ms Rebelo was already dead due to the mottling patterns on her face and neck, and they did not attempt to resuscitate after establishing she had no heartbeat.
He said Fabian was very shocked and upset when they found him with his mother.
The officer said he could not see any injuries on Ms Rebelo’s body.
Andre Rebelo has been charged with the murder of his mother Colleen Rebelo, whose body was found in her Preston Point Road home on May 25, 2020. (Facebook)
Ms Rebelo’s death was initially deemed not suspicious and despite a subsequent post-mortem the cause of her death has not been determined.
Police subsequently found details of the life insurance policies taken out by Andre Rebelo which led them to investigate further.
Mr Rebelo has pleaded guilty to four fraud charges including falsifying his mother’s will to make himself appear to be her executor, but the jury has been told not to assume any guilt in relation to other charges due to this admission.
The trial is expected to run for around seven weeks.
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