One Million Reasons to Kill Your Mother

I wrote a series several years ago for the company I worked for called the Dirty Dozen. I listed twelve companies and individuals that I believe acted unethically and corruptly.

I refreshed this idea with the Dirty Dozen (revisited) when I began writing again. You may have read some of these.

You can find the previous two stories in the Dirty Dozen (revisited) here:

Enter Mr. Andre Rebelo

On April 1, Andre Rebelo turned 29. He also received a long prison sentence for the cold-blooded murder of his mother, Colleen, on that day.

It is a twisted tale of life gone wrong, when, for all the wrong reasons, a son kills his mother. He was drawn to an exotic lifestyle he couldn't afford. As a result, he had debts of over $100,000.

He wanted to keep his influencer girlfriend, Gracie Piscopo, and the mother of his son. So, he had to find money. At the time of the murder, she was earning a six-figure salary.

He had not earned any money for three years and was constantly being chased by debt collectors. The cryptocurrency trader needed money to show his girlfriend he was dependable. He wanted to prove he could support their lifestyle.

Nothing Personal

Colleen was a 58-year-old mother of four and grandmother to Rebelo’s young son, Romeo. She was found dead in the en-suite shower of her home in May 2020.

A coroner could not find a cause of death. For months, no one understood why the “healthy and happy” woman died. She exercised regularly, lived well, and had a bright future ahead.

A psychologist who treated Colleen said that Robelo urged her to sign papers after Colleen died.

What documents?

Just before her sudden death, three life insurance policies were bought in Colleen's name. Two named Rebelo as the only beneficiary. If he claimed both, he would receive over $1 million.

Police found that Rebelo created a fake will, medical documents, and a coroner’s report. He even used a fake AI voice to pretend to be the psychologist during a call with an insurance company. He did all this to trick the company into paying.

Family murderers are often committed for reasons of passion, jealousy, or pure hatred. This was for none of those reasons. It seems it was purely for money and ego.

The court was told it was not personal. It was a cold-blooded and calculated murder solely for money. He wanted to prove to his girlfriend that he was successful. He also wanted to show he could support their relationship financially.

He declined a mental evaluation. There was no concern about his mental state or any psychological issues.

Rebelo said he was innocent during his trial. Still, he pleaded guilty to trying to defraud an insurance company and to forging documents to obtain the money.

The cause of death has never been determined. It is alleged that he killed his mother and then staged her death to look like it was from natural causes.

The Perth Supreme Court found him guilty of murder in December last year. This month, he was sentenced to 25 years’ jail after an eight-week trial.

In closing, the judge called it the worst betrayal of a mother who had given everything for her children.

Described as a “monstrous act” and a crime that right-minded people would regard as a horror.

I guess he found a hundred million reasons to break the bond that is so often special between a mother and her son.

A worthy entrant in the Dirty Dozen, revisited in my opinion.

How about you?

Till next time,

Calvin