Andre Rebelo: Murder accused describes ‘weird’ six-figure social media empire to arresting detectives

A 28-year-old man accused of murdering his mother in her Bicton home so he could claim a $500,000 life insurance policy has detailed his “assistant” role in his ex-partner’s six-figure social media empire. Video of Andre Rebelo’s first arrest in his flashy, $ 880-a-week Beaconsfield rental in September 2020 was shown at his Supreme Court of WA trial on Tuesday, his young son with influencer Gracie Piscopo playing beside him on a sofa. Rebelo asks to use his iPhone and is told he cannot as it has been seized as evidence, and he’s placed under arrest on suspicion of committing fraud. His interview in police custody was then played and he appears unfazed when told he’s also suspected of forgery. He’s asked to describe his business with Ms Piscopo, getting laughs from the detectives with his response: “It’s a weird thing to define”. “Social media marketing and influencing ... negotiating with brands and creating content for them.” He admits he’s only playing a “sort of assistant manager” role in the operation, which earns $170,000-$200,000 a year, replying “yes” when asked if it was earning enough to cover expenses. “Most of it is Gracie’s business but I take a percent as well,” Rebelo says, and goes on to explain how he invests in cryptocurrency and spends up to four hours a day share trading. The trial had earlier been told that in the years up to May 2020 when his mother Colleen Rebelo was killed, aged 58, the pair appeared to be living a luxurious and successful life but were in fact laden with debt. By June 2020, they owed more than $112,000 in total. It was not until 2022 that Rebelo was charged with his mother’s murder, accused of doing so to claim the insurance policy he’d taken out the week prior. The court was told on Tuesday how a warrant had been granted to install listening devices in their home, with officers carefully listening for words linking him to his mother’s death around the clock for three months. The trial continues.