‘Cold Blooded’ Crypto Investor Who Killed His Mom for Insurance Money Sentenced to 25 Years for 'Monstrous Act': Reports

An Australian man who was found guilty of killing his mother in order to claim her more than $1 million life insurance policies will spend the next two decades in prison, according to reports.

Andre Zachary Rebelo, a cryptocurrency investor, was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison by the Perth Supreme Court on Tuesday, April 1, according to local media outlets The Australian, WA Today and the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC). According to The Australian, Andre was sentenced on his 29th birthday after he was found guilty during a seven-week trial last year.

Andre’s mother, 58-year-old Colleen Rebelo, was found dead under the running shower in her home in Perth, Australia, in May 2020, according to ABC. While her death had not been treated as suspicious at first and an autopsy was unable to determine how she died, Andre became a suspect after reportedly attempting to claim life insurance against his mother.

An investigation by police determined that he had taken out three life insurance policies against his mother the week prior to her death and made himself the sole beneficiary, through which he would have pocketed over $1 million, per The Australian.

According to the outlet, Andre had been dating social media influencer and model Grace Piscopo at the time, and the pair had been over $100,000 in debt. The pair reportedly tried to fund luxurious trips and a seemingly glamorous lifestyle with credit cards and personal loans. Piscopo has not been charged in connection with the crime.

While handing down the sentence, Justice Bruno Fiannaca reportedly told Rebelo in court, per ABC, “The persona you had created alongside Ms Piscopo was more important to you than your familial connection to your mother.”

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“It was a premeditated offense, a monstrous act that was integral to a fraudulent scheme,” Fiannaca added, per the outlet.

The judge also honed in on the specifics of Colleen’s death, saying, per The Australian, “This is a crime that right minded people would regard with horror, murdering your mother was the ultimate betrayal of her trust and everything she gave.”

“His motive shows it was a very calculated and cold blooded killing,” he added.

In court, Andre denied killing his mother but pleaded guilty to fraud charges and admitted that he had forged documents including his mother’s will and a coroner’s report, according to ABC. He admitted forging the fake documents to gain a $500,000 payout from one of the policies, per The Australian.

Andre’s sentence was back dated until November 22, 2022, when he was taken into custody by police, The Australian reported.

Following the sentencing, Andre’s father Antonio told reporters outside the court, per ABC, “We don’t really know what happened to his mother and we still don’t know what happened. It’s sad for everyone, for all the families involved.”