A Fake Life on Social Media That Led to Tragedy: The Story of Andre Rebelo.

[Music] [Music] welcome back to the sad crime Channel I'd like to share with you a story that received extensive media coverage in Australia in 2020 as it involved a well-known influencer let's dive into the story of Andre Zachary rebello Andre lived in Perth Western Australia with his partner graci Piscopo and their son Andre and Gracie met in 2015 when Andre born in 1996 was just 19 years old from the very beginning of their relationship he was captivated by his girlfriend Andre admired Gracie's determination she never gave up and firmly believed that one day she would achieve success indeed her audience grew steadily bringing in more income Gracie's earnings allowed her to afford luxury shopping trips and exotic holidays during these trips she and Andre stayed in the most expensive hotels capturing countless photos to share on their social media profiles to their followers the couple seemed perfect a beautiful and stylish woman with her handsome athletic partner they lived in a spacious home and drove the latest Range Rover model it appeared they were living the dream before becoming an influencer with millions of followers Gracie had worked as a receptionist at a gym her life changed dramatically when she began sharing her photos online she was soon earning around $170,000 annually a significant increase from her previous income when Andre met Gracie he was amazed by her lifestyle and the rapid changes in her life companies flooded her inbox with advertising offers allowing her to choose the most lucrative ones negotiating these deals was timec consuming so Andre decided to drop out of University to become Gracie's assistant from that point on he managed her finances negotiated contracts and chose which opportunities to pursue for his role Andre earned $20,000 annually as the couple's online business grew Andre began appearing in Gracie's photos and videos though she remained the primary focus after the birth of their child the baby also became part of their social media content allowing Gracie to Market baby products and expand her audience further both dedicated several hours each day to their online work Andre however wanted to pursue something of his own and started investing in cryptocurrency he believed it was a promising Venture that could yield substantial returns in the future he assured Gracie that their Investments would eventually pay off even if it took time Andre's mother Colleen was less optimistic about his choices she thought her son should pursue a stable career something he could rely on for many years Colleen doubted the longevity of social media careers and worried that as they aged their appearance might no longer attract the same audience moreover she feared that new influences would overshadow them Colleen often shared her concerns with a close friend she worried that Andre had abandoned his education to focus on an uncertain future colen a mother of four three sons and a daughter who was Andre's twin wanted the best for her children after her marriage ended in 2010 she raised her children on her own while working as a teacher once her children were grown Colleen decided to pursue her own dreams she began studying and in 2020 had just completed her degree she was excited about starting a new career in healthcare at the age of 58 however on 25th May 2020 a tragedy occurred that no one could have have anticipated that morning everything seemed normal Colleen spoke with her children some of whom still lived with her her youngest son Fabian was living with her and her daughter Monique was staying with her temporarily while training as a paramedic as her mother's house was closer to her school that morning Mo'Nique and Fabian prepared to leave for work Fabian who worked part-time at a nearby supermarket relied on his mother to drive him to work at 10:00 a. m. and pick him up at 2:00 p.

m. but when Fabian finished his shift that day his mother did not arrive to collect him he tried calling her 13 times but she did not answer at the time walking home wasn't too far for Fabian thankfully the journey took him only around 10 to 15 minutes still he was quite stressed such a situation had never occurred before his mother Colleen had always picked him up from work he feared something might have happened to her Colleen was typically a health conscious woman with the only known issues being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and minor heart problems even so Fabian couldn't shake the worry that something had gone wrong when Fabian arrived home he stepped inside and heard the sound of someone showering in the bathroom given that Colleen was the only one who should have been at home at that hour he assumed it was her curious about why she hadn't picked him up from work he called out to her but received no response Fabian called her name several times but there was still no answer eventually he decided to check the bathroom although it made him uncomfortable after all she could simply have been in the shower and unable to hear him Fabian had a terrible feeling and felt he had no choice opening the bathroom door Fabian was met with a distressing sight under the shower his mother was in an unusual position kneeling on the floor and leaning against the wall showing no signs of Life acting quickly Fabian pulled her out into the middle of the bathroom and covered her with a towel before calling emergency services while waiting for the ambulance he attempted to administer first aid although the shower water was warm Colleen's body felt cold and her face and neck displayed a strange bluish gray discoloration f Ian performed CPR until paramedics arrived and took over sadly it was too late despite the medic's best efforts Colleen had passed away and there was nothing more they could do Fabian then messaged his sister Monique urging her to return home as quickly as possible he also tried to contact his brother Andre but received no reply it was only when Monique returned home at around 3:00 p. m.

and began calling and texting on and re that he arrived with Gracie and their son at their mother's house the entire family was shocked by Colleen's sudden death that morning when Fabian and Monique had spoken to her nothing seemed out of the ordinary even an autopsy couldn't determine the cause of Colleen's death her children understandably devastated struggled to accept the idea that their mother had passed away from natural causes certain details didn't sit right with them for instance when Fabian found her Colleen had been wearing her gold wristwatch which she always removed before showering she also still had her jewelry on another thing she would always take off before stepping into the shower Additionally the anti-slip mat she always used when showering was found draped over the side of the bathtub why hadn't she used it that day police who arrived at the scene found no signs of forced entry into the house every window and door was Secure despite the strange circumstances the family had no choice but to accept the conclusion that Colleen had died naturally everything changed a few weeks later the family hadn't uncovered any new information but an insurance company contacted the police with suspicions of attempted fraud they believed the documents submitted to them had been forged the person suspected of insurance fraud none other than Andre one of Colleen's Sons Sons just one week before Colleen's death Andre had taken out three life insurance policies in her name if she died Andre stood to receive $1. 15 million none of Colleen's other children were named as beneficiaries they wouldn't see a single dollar from the policies Andre wasted no time just three days after his mother's death he contacted all three insurance companies and attempted to claim the payout however two of the companies refused to pay citing the brief time between the policy activation and Colleen's death as grounds to dismiss the claim only the third company considered paying out but Andre was required to submit additional documents to complete the process that's when the inconsistencies began to surface one document listed the wrong date of birth for Colleen using Andre's birthday instead whenever the company requested new paper work Andre promptly provided it but the documents raised more red flags the company eventually uncovered forged medical reports including a fabricated autopsy stating that Colleen had died from a ruptured aneurysm causing a subarachnoid hemorrhage Andre had also falsified Colleen's will naming himself the sole heir to her estate to top it off he submitted an altered psychiatric report claiming had been mentally fit at the time she signed any documents Andre went so far as to use artificial intelligence to generate an audio recording that wouldn't sound like his own voice he had put considerable effort into the deception but the insurance company became increasingly suspicious and alerted the authorities when confronted Andre claimed his mother had been fully aware of his actions and had requested his help in securing their financial future he explained that the agreement to name him the sole beneficiary was so he could later divide the money equally among his siblings police however struggled to believe his story The altered will and life insurance policies paired with the timing of Colleen's death made them wonder whether Andre had played a role in her demise the family was shocked to learn about the additional life insurance policies and the will why would their mother have done this she had never shown favoritism toward any of her children and none of them expected her to leave her entire estate to just one of them it was especially hard for them to understand why it was Andre they thought that if it came to inheritance matters the oldest son Julian would naturally take charge of everything therefore right after her death Julian decided to move into her house temporarily until he managed to settle everything but when he tried to locate his mother's documents he realized he couldn't find her driving license anywhere Andre stated that he had taken them because he wanted to handle the inheritance matters it was then discovered that Julian learned from Andre that for some reason Andre had redirected all of their mother's mail to his own address no one could understand why he did this especially since the house wasn't empty after Colleen's death her other children Fabian and Monique were still living there and could easily receive her male the growing doubt surrounding Colleen's death began to mount could her son really have killed her just to gain over a million dollars all of Colleen's children were reinterviewed as well as Gracie and others connected to the 58-year-old Colleen's sister testified that on that fateful day when she was returning home from work at about 1:30 p. m.

she passed by colen's house and saw a car in the driveway she didn't recognize she had no idea who it belonged to however later during her sister's funeral she saw the same vehicle and noticed Andre and his partner getting into it this meant that on the day Colleen died Andre was at her house none of his siblings were aware of this as he hadn't mentioned it when the police asked Andre why he hadn't informed anyone that he saw his mother on the day of her death he replied that no one had asked him Andre told investigators that he had been at his mother's house on the 25th of May for about 45 to 50 minutes roughly between 10:40 and 11:30 a. m. he said she didn't seem to be in the best mood she was stressed about turning 60 soon and was preoccupied with the passage of time this he claimed was why she wanted to purchase additional insurance policies Andre also told the police that during their conversation his mother had said something along the lines of how it might be better if she were no longer alive hinting that she may have been contemplating taking her own life meanwhile Andre's partner Gracie provided a different timeline for the day she stated that she and her cousin were planning to go out for lunch but at some point she realized Andre wasn't home she didn't know exactly when he left because he hadn't told her he was going anywhere she tried calling him multiple times but he didn't answer according to her phone call history she called him 12 times before sending him messages asking where he was and why he wasn't responding Gracie admitted that she was very upset during this time her cousin was already at their house and they were waiting to leave for the restaurant but Andre wasn't home and wasn't answering his phone this situation continued until 2: p.

m. when Andre returned home as as if nothing had happened he simply asked where they'd like to go for lunch Gracie was surprised by his behavior but didn't press the issue she could tell he wasn't willing to explain anything so the three of them prepared to leave however Gracie recalled that before they left the house Andre sent a message to his mother asking if she could take care of their son that evening the investigators now increasingly convinced that Andre had killed his mother needed to find concrete evidence they decided to place surveillance devices in Andre and Gracie's home during a search they installed one listening device in the bedroom and a camera in the living room for 3 months the police monitored their conversations from these recordings it became clear that Gracie knew nothing about the insurance policies Andre had taken out she was furious with him for putting her in such a situation as she was well aware that a scandal of this magnitude could damage her reputation and cause her to lose sponsors Gracie reminded Andre that if he had killed his mother and the truth came out he would face a prison sentence there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Gracie Andre remained confident that this wouldn't happen he believed he would successfully claim the insurance money and avoid imprisonment as he intended to leave the country as soon as the funds were transferred to him but why would Andre do any of this in the first place together he and Gracie earned good money and could afford things others only dreamed of but when investigators delved deeper into the couple's finances they discovered that everything presented on social media was a lie they were not doing as well financially as their posts and videos suggested the house they lived in was Grand but it wasn't theirs they rented it for $880 a week the White Range Rover that often appeared in their photo wasn't theirs either they had purchased it on finance most of their luxurious trips and hotel stays were sponsored by advertisers in reality Gracie and Andre were living beyond their means spending more than they earned although they didn't earn a small amount they wanted to project an image of a couple surrounded by luxury and that came at a cost to their followers they appeared beautiful and Wealthy but the truth was Far different at the time of Colleen's death the couple had debts amounting to $120,000 they were behind on their rent payments for the house and on installments for their car Gracie also had overdue taxes totaling $40,000 which he hadn't been aware of because Andre managed all their finances only Andre knew the full extent of their debts despite this he invested money in cryptocurrency considering himself an expert in the field he assured Gracie that they could eventually earn up to $500,000 the truth was that despite three years of investing in cryptocurrency Andre had managed to earn only $22 he knew his investment was a failure but was unwilling to admit it instead he realized he needed to find another way to fund their luxurious lifestyle and pay off their existing debts debt collection agencies were putting increasing pressure on him to repay the money he owed Andre needed to act fast it seems he concluded that ensuring his mother's life and then ending it would be the only way to solve his problems this plan would not only provide the funds he desperately needed but also allow him to pretend the money came from his three-year investment solidifying His Image as a successful investor in the eyes of Gracie and others in November 202 2 Andre was charged with his mother's murder and arrested the trial began in October 2024 and lasted 8 weeks there was no physical evidence proving that Andre killed his mother nor was the exact cause of her death ever determined however expert Witnesses testified during the trial explaining that it is possible to end someone's life without leaving visible marks Colin had minor abrasions on her eyebrows and arms which initially went unnoticed these were later hypothesized to have been caused by the use of a pillow to suffocate her but this was just one possible Theory the exact manner of Colleen's death remains unclear evidence against Andre included the fact that he had been at his mother's house longer than he had told investigators Colleen's sister had seen a car parked outside the house at 1:30 p. m.