By Abidemi Samuel
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A shocking case of matricide has come to light in Australia, where a 28-year-old crypto trader, Andre Zachary Rebelo, has been found guilty of killing his own mother to claim a life insurance payout of over $1.2 million. The verdict was delivered after an eight-week trial at the West Australia Supreme Court.
The tragic events unfolded on May 25, 2020, when Rebelo’s 58-year-old mother, Colleen Rebelo, was found dead in the shower by her youngest son at their home in Perth, Australia. Initially, the death was not treated as suspicious, and an autopsy failed to determine the cause of death.
However, a deeper investigation revealed that Zachary had taken out three separate life insurance policies worth a total of $1,200,000 (£500,000) against his mother in the week leading up to her death, naming himself as the sole beneficiary. This shocking discovery raised suspicions about Zachary’s involvement in his mother’s death.
As the investigation progressed, it became clear that Zachary was living a life of luxury, funded by his cryptocurrency trading and his mother’s financial support. However, behind the façade of his glamorous lifestyle, Zachary was struggling with debts of over $120,000.
In a desperate bid to claim the life insurance payout, Zachary provided fake records about his mother’s health and death to the insurance companies. He even went so far as to use an AI voice generator to impersonate his mother’s psychologist, leaving a voicemail for the insurer.
The jury heard that Zachary’s twin sister and two brothers had no knowledge of the life insurance policies taken out on their mother, while their father maintained Zachary’s innocence. However, Zachary’s girlfriend testified that he had told her he was at his mother’s house on the morning of her death, a claim that was later disputed by secretly taped conversations between the pair.
Prosecutor Brett Tooker painted a vivid picture of Zachary’s “plastic fantastic” lifestyle, highlighting the stark contrast between his luxurious online persona and his dire financial situation. Tooker argued that Zachary’s desperation to maintain his lifestyle had driven him to commit the heinous crime of matricide.
Zachary has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on April 4, 2025. The case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of greed and the devastating consequences of crime.
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