Failed crypto trader killed his mum to maintain 'perfect' lifestyle

Andre Rebelo was drowning in debt - information that he hid from his influencer girlfriend. So he came up with a shocking plan to make money

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They were a couple with a seemingly enviable life. It was 2020 and Andre Rebelo was a crypto currency trader and his girlfriend of several years was social media influencer and model Gracie Piscopo, who had more than one million Instagram followers. They had a son together and shared their glamorous lifestyle with their fans online. Rebelo and Gracie lived in a rented luxury home in Perth, Australia. They enjoyed lavish overseas holidays and drove expensive cars.

Rebelo had been a supermarket delivery driver, who everyone believed had built his wealth from crypto trading, but he was hiding a secret. He had told everyone he was coming into $500,000 due to the success of his business, but that was a lie. In reality, after trading for around three years, he was $100,000 in debt and struggling to provide what was needed to keep up the appearance of his extravagant life.

Gracie was unaware of the extreme debt as Rebelo handled their finances. While she earned money as an influencer with growing popularity, the price of their lifestyle was going up in cost too and Rebelo was running out of time to pay off his debts.

On 25 May, 2020, Rebelo’s brother Fabian, 23, was concerned when his mum Colleen, 58, didn’t pick him up from work at 2pm as planned. Fabian lived with his mum, while his older three siblings, including Rebelo, had left home.

Fabian tried to call his mum and, when there was no answer, he walked to their home in Bicton. He could hear the shower running in the en suite bathroom, but Colleen didn’t reply when he called out. Worried, he entered the bathroom and found his mum slumped on her knees under the running water. He called the emergency services and performed CPR, but she was pronounced dead at the scene by the paramedics.