Perth man Andre Rebelo murdered his mother, Colleen, in 2020 to claim over $1.15 million in forged life-insurance policies. Once a crypto trader & partner of influencer Grace Piscopo, he maintained a façade of wealth while drowning in debt. Convicted in 2024 and sentenced to life in prison, Rebelo is now appealing his conviction in the WA Court of Appeal.
Early Life & Family of Andre Rebelo
Andre Zachary Rebelo was born in Perth, Western Australia, to Antonio & Colleen Rebelo. He grew up in a loving, middle-class household alongside his three siblings-Julian, Monique (his twin) & Fabian.
His mother, Colleen, was the heart of the family: a 58-year-old mother of four, grandmother & devoted community member who lived a healthy, active lifestyle. Known for her warmth & optimism, she frequently exercised, volunteered & remained deeply connected to her children.
Andre attended university to study management but deferred before finishing. He worked as a Coles delivery driver & later attempted to build a new identity through cryptocurrency trading-an endeavour that would eventually consume his life.
Andre Rebelo & His Influencer Partner Grace Piscopo
Andre Rebelo’s long-term partner was Grace Piscopo, one of Australia’s most popular Instagram models. The couple began dating in 2012 & welcomed their son Romeo in 2019.
Their relationship projected success-luxury holidays, high-end fashion & expensive cars. Online, they embodied the modern dream-young, beautiful, and wealthy. In reality, they were struggling.
Behind the photoshoots and sponsorships, their financial situation was dire. They lived in a rented Beaconsfield home costing $880 per week and financed a Range Rover. Grace earned six-figure contracts through brand deals, but Andre’s crypto ventures failed repeatedly. He was more than $100,000 in debt.
To maintain the illusion of wealth, Andre lied to Grace, claiming he was due a $500,000 profit from cryptocurrency trading. It was a fantasy-but one he was determined to make real, at any cost.
The Turning Point-A Life of Debt & Deception
By 2020, Andre Rebelo’s debts had reached breaking point. Creditors were calling, loans were overdue & his carefully curated social persona was starting to crack. His identity-as a supportive partner to a high-earning influencer-depended on appearances.
That pressure, prosecutors later argued, became his motive. He needed a windfall to pay off debts, fund his image & prove to Grace that he was her equal.
The Insurance Plot-Greed Becomes a Plan
In May 2020, Andre took out three life-insurance policies in his mother’s name totalling $1.15 million. He forged her signature & made himself sole beneficiary. Two of the policies alone would have left him a millionaire overnight.
The deception was elaborate-he fabricated identification documents & medical details, all while pretending to help his mother organise her affairs. Within five days, she was dead.
The Day of the Murder-25 May 2020
On a cool Perth morning, Colleen dropped her youngest son Fabian at work around 10 am & planned to collect him later that day. Andre visited her Bicton home shortly after.
He claimed to have stayed for a coffee, spoken briefly & left at 11:30 am. The prosecution later proved otherwise.
They argued that Andre smothered his mother with a pillow before staging her body under a running shower to look like a sudden collapse. When Fabian returned at 2:30 pm, he found the water still hot & his mother lifeless.
Colleen was found naked in the ensuite-a deliberate act that stripped her of dignity, Justice Bruno Fiannaca later noted.
Initially, her death was treated as natural. But the truth soon surfaced.
The Investigation-From Tragedy to Suspicion
Colleen’s psychologist, Dr Narina Sidhu, became the unlikely catalyst for the case. She told police that Andre had hounded her to sign insurance documents weeks after Colleen’s death-raising alarm bells.
When investigators checked, they discovered that Andre had forged multiple documents, including a fake coroner’s report, a medical certificate & a forged will naming himself executor. He even created an AI-generated voicemail pretending to be Dr Sidhu to trick insurers.
Police also learned that Andre had contacted the insurance company just three days after the funeral to claim $500,000.
Police Surveillance & Arrest
Detectives placed hidden cameras and listening devices inside the Beaconsfield home Andre shared with Grace Piscopo. Recordings revealed Grace had no involvement-she even expressed fear that Andre was being framed.
The financial trail told the story police needed. Andre’s credit cards, digital signatures & email records tied him to the fraudulent policies.
On 22 November 2022, police arrested him at his home. He was charged with murder & four counts of fraud. Andre admitted the forgeries but denied killing his mother.
Inside the Courtroom-Andre Rebelo’s Trial
The eight-week trial at the WA Supreme Court began in October 2024 & became one of the most closely watched cases in Western Australia.
The Prosecution’s Argument:
Prosecutor Brett Tooker told the jury that Andre’s actions were deliberate & motivated by greed:
“His motive shows it was a calculated & cold-blooded killing-the ultimate betrayal.”
The Crown alleged Andre killed his mother to erase debt, uphold his influencer lifestyle & impress Grace Piscopo with false financial success.
The Defence’s Argument:
His lawyers claimed Colleen may have died of a heart condition or allergic reaction & that she had willingly participated in the insurance applications.
Grace Piscopo’s Testimony:
Grace appeared as a defence witness, saying Andre acted “ordinary” on the day of Colleen’s death. She said she knew little about their finances, as Andre controlled their accounts.
Andre’s Testimony:
He chose to testify, admitting he lied to police about seeing his mother that morning. He refused a psychological evaluation & insisted on his innocence.
After nearly two days of deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on 4 December 2024. Several jurors cried as it was read.
Sentencing-The ‘Ultimate Betrayal’
On 2 April 2025, Andre Rebelo was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 25-year non-parole period, backdated to his 2022 arrest.
Justice Bruno Fiannaca condemned the murder as “a monstrous act” & “the ultimate betrayal of a mother who gave everything.”
He said:
“You killed your own mother in a particularly egregious & shocking nature. You deceived in the most calculated way, forging evidence & stripping your mother of dignity.”
Victim impact statements from Monique Rebelo & Leonie Randalls painted Colleen as a devoted parent and friend. “She gave so much to her children,” Randalls wrote. “It’s a tragedy her life was taken by one of them.”
Andre’s father Antonio still visits him in prison. Outside court, he said, “We don’t really know what happened to his mother. It’s sad for everyone involved.”
Psychological Dimension-A Mind Driven by Image
While Andre Rebelo declined psychiatric evaluation, experts later reflected on the psychological traits his case revealed. His obsession with self-image, need for validation & manipulative tendencies aligned with narcissistic behaviour.
He built his self-worth on perception-on how others saw him online, not who he was in reality. Psychologists say this distorted self-identity often drives individuals to catastrophic choices when their illusions collapse.
In Andre’s case, the pressure to maintain perfection led to murder.
Aftermath-Grace Piscopo & Family Rebuilding
Following the sentencing, Grace Piscopo shared an emotional Instagram post saying she was “healing and moving on.” The video featured clips with her son Romeo & lyrics about acceptance & peace.
Since then, she has resumed her modelling career, travelled abroad & found a new partner, Daniel Classen. She continues to co-parent Romeo while staying out of public controversy.
Meanwhile, the Rebelo family remains fractured-united in grief but divided by disbelief.
Andre Rebelo’s Appeal-A New Legal Twist
In May 2025, Andre Rebelo filed an appeal in the WA Court of Appeal, claiming his mother’s hot-water system proved his innocence.
His defence argued that the old storage system could produce only 30–40 minutes of continuous hot water. Because the water was still hot when Fabian found Colleen at 2:30 pm, they claimed it must have been turned on around 1:50 pm-a time when Andre was not at the house.
The appeal suggested a medical episode like cardiac arrhythmia as an alternative cause of death. Justice Robert Mazza ordered documents to be lodged by 25 September 2025, but as of late September, no hearing date was set.
Timeline of Key Events
| Year | Event |
| 2012 | Begins relationship with influencer Grace Piscopo |
| 2019 | Birth of son, Romeo |
| 25 May 2020 | Murder of Colleen Rebelo |
| 22 Nov 2022 | Arrest and charges filed |
| 4 Dec 2024 | Guilty verdict delivered |
| 2 Apr 2025 | Sentenced to life imprisonment |
| May 2025 | Appeal lodged |
| 25 Sept 2025 | Appeal documentation deadline |
| 2047 | Earliest parole eligibility |
Public Reaction & Media Impact
The case of Andre Rebelo captivated Australia-not only because of its brutality but because it shattered the illusion of online perfection.
Media coverage across the country described it as “a crime of ego,” while WA residents expressed disbelief that a son could murder his mother for status and money. Social commentary highlighted the dark side of influencer culture, where self-worth becomes tied to public perception.
True-crime analysts & psychologists have since discussed the case as a study in narcissistic desperation-how financial failure and identity collapse can turn deadly when reality no longer supports illusion.
Legacy-Lessons from the Life & Crimes of Andre Rebelo
The tragedy of Andre Rebelo is a modern morality tale-a reminder that success built on deception will always collapse. His mother’s murder exposed the emptiness behind the façade of social-media luxury & the cost of valuing image over integrity.
Colleen Rebelo’s name lives on through those who loved her-her children, grandchildren & community-while Andre’s story remains a stark warning of what happens when greed, pride & delusion replace love & truth.
Leave a Reply