Investigators reveal why cryptic trader Andre Rebelos home was bugged after his mums death
An investigator has told the WA Supreme Court the home of alleged mum killer Andre Rebelo and his former partner Grace Piscopo was bugged by police.
An investigator has told the WA Supreme Court the home of alleged mum killer Andre Rebelo and his former partner Grace Piscopo was bugged by police.
Former WA Police detective Warren Jacobs gave evidence in the murder trial of Rebelo, who is accused of killing his mother Colleen Rebelo on May 25, 2020, an allegation he has denied.
Mr Jacobs told the court that police were issued a warrant to use listening devices in the bedroom of Rebelos Beaconsfield home and an optical and audio recording device downstairs.
The devices were installed in the house from September 9, 2020 until December 7, 2020.
Mr Jacobs confirmed to defence lawyer Anthony Elliott the devices were installed to see if there was any discussion betwee Rebelo, Ms Piscopo and any other people relevant to a fraud inquiry.
Mr Elliott put to Mr Jacobs that even though the offence was described as fraud, the officers listened out for discussions about insurance, fraud, Ms Rebelo, death, murder and anything that could be sensibly connected with those things.
Yes, Mr Jacobs replied.
Detective Sergeant Clinton Bragg told the court that Mr Rebelo googled coroners aneurysm causes and inquest after his mothers death.
Recording devices were installed in the home of Andre Zachary Rebelo and his former partner model Gracie Piscopo (pictured) for three months in 2020, a court has been told
Colleen Rebelos (pictured) cause of death has never been determined despite extensive testing by authorities. The court was told police discovered Mr Rebelo had taken out three life insurance policies against his mother in the week before she died
The court was told police discovered Rebelo had taken out three life insurance policies against his mother in the week before she died in which he stood to gain $1.15m from her death.
Three days after she died, he started the claims process to gain money from premiums.
One of the insurers suspected the claim was fraudulent and reported it to police.
Mr Rebelo had submitted forged copies of a medical certificate from his mothers psychologist, her last will and testament along with a fake copy of a coroners report into her death.
He was charged with fraud in October 2020 and later charged with murder in November 2022.
He declared bankruptcy on March 31, 2022.
Mr Rebelo pleaded guilty to forgery but has denied killing his mother.
Police were initially investigating a fraud complaint but started suspecting Mr Rebelo murdered his mother about October 1, 2020.
Sergeant Bragg said he was briefed about the case on August 31, 2020 and started investigations, but because three months had lapsed since Ms Rebelo had died, police were unable to obtain any evidence from CCTV footage.
Police searched the home of Ms Piscopo and Mr Rebelo (pictured) on September 16, 2020. Ms Piscopo is not accused of any wrongdoing
He told the court that 16 days later police searched Ms Rebelos home where her children Monique and Fabian were at the time, with police seizing laptops and mobile phones from the home.
He said her children were taken to the Fremantle Police Station to give statements.
Sergeant Bragg told the court that a search was also carried out at Rebelos home on the same day. Police seized computers and laptops and took him in for questioning.
Andre was interviewed later that evening about this incident, he was taken into custody and arrested that day, Sergeant Bragg said.
I went back to the homicide squad office and took Andre back to the watch house, I believe he was bailed.
He was charged with attempted fraud, five other forgery offences and released on bail.
Detective Sergeant Jason Hutchinson told the court that he examined a computer used by Rebelo and found activity from December 2019 to July 2020 had been removed, including internet search history.
He said there was also no chrome history prior to June 2020.
Police discovered Google searches for coroners aneurysm causes, word doc assist and inquest on a computer used by Mr Rebelo (pictured with Ms Piscopo)
Sergeant Hutchinson told the court that he did find Google searches that were relevant to the case that included coroners aneurysm causes, word doc assist and inquest.
A computer mostly used by Ms Piscopo revealed photos of the couple with their son Romeo taken at 8.07am on the day Rebelos mother died.
At 10.24am and 2pm, photos of Ms Piscopo were found on the computer. After 8.07am there were no photos of Rebelo.
During the trial, the court has been told Rebelo portrayed a glamorous lifestyle on social media with Ms Piscopo that was funded by credit cards and personal loans.
The jury was told Ms Piscopo was a successful model and social media influencer, but Rebelo had lived beyond his means and was unable to repay his financial obligations.
Ms Piscopo is not accused of any wrongdoing.
WA Police financial crime squad investigator Darren Stammers investigated the couples financial records for a three-year period until June 2020.
The court was shown about a month after Ms Rebelo died, the couple had a combined debt of $121,000 and little money in their savings accounts.
Mr Rebelo was being pursued by debt collection agencies after he failed to make repayments on his credit card.
State prosecutor Brett Tooker (pictured) told the court that when premiums had to be paid and money started coming out of Rebelos account, he had to act
The prosecution argued that Mr Rebelo must have thought his world was closing in around him and led him to take out three life insurance policies against his mother.
State prosecutor Brett Tooker told the court that when premiums had to be paid and money started coming out of Mr Rebelos account, he had to act.
Which is why five days later he killed his mother, then three days later started pursing policies, he told the court.
While Ms Rebelos death was sudden and unexpected, it was not treated as suspicious by first responders who attended her home.
Her cause of death has never been determined despite auxiliary testing performed at her autopsy.
The defence has argued traces of focal subendocardial interstitial fibrosis found on Ms Rebelos heart could have caused her to die suddenly from cardiac arrhythmia.
The trial continues.
