A forensic psychologist who performed an autopsy on Colleen Rebelo said he could not rule out that the mother of four died of asphyxiation.
Forensic pathologist Reimar Junckerstorff has told the WA Supreme Court it was possible people could die from asphyxiation or suffocation without any noticeable marks on their bodies or brains post-mortem.
“You can hit people without leaving a bruise, that’s less common,” he told the WA Supreme Court on Thursday.
Dr. Junckerstorff was giving evidence in the murder trial of Andre Zachary Rebelo, who is accused of killing his mother to make money from life insurance policies he took out on her the week before her death.
He has pleaded not guilty to her murder.
The forensic pathologist agreed with defense attorney Anthony Elliott if Ms. Rebelo had been smothered, it is possible that she would have injuries, such as defensive wounds, but he did not observe these types of injuries on her body.
He said it was more common for police to investigate evidence and take fingernail scrapings than for pathologists.
How Ms. Rebelo died is still unknown. Dr. Junckerstorff told the court that additional tests on her body did not help determine the cause of death.
Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with his ex-model partner Gracie Piscopo) is accused of killing his mother to make money from life insurance policies he took out on her the week before her death.
Days after his mother died, Rebelo started the claims process to access the incentives that would earn him $1.15 million.
Dr. Junckerstorff performed an autopsy on Ms Rebelo three days after her death, telling the court she had blood stains on her eyelids that could have been present from asphyxiation, resuscitation, chest injury or neck compression.
Dr. Junckerstorff said that blood spots on the eyelids occurred when there had been an obstruction in the nose or mouth, preventing a person from breathing.
He performed a CT scan of Ms Rebelo’s body, which showed she had no brain haemorrhages, skull fractures or skeletal injuries.
He found injuries on her face and body, including bruises and an abrasion on her eyebrows, along with some bruises and abrasions on her hands, arms and legs.
When Mr Elliott asked him if the bruise on her eyebrow could have been the result of a blow with a fist, he replied ‘yes’.
Dr. Junckerstorff told the court that the bruises on the back of Ms Rebelo’s left hand, wrist and forearm could have been the result of force or grabbing, and that the injuries around her eyebrows were consistent with some sort of collapse.
Ms Rebelo was found dead at her home in Bicton, south-west Perth on May 25, 2020 by her youngest son Fabian, after she failed to pick him up from work that day.
Rebelo was accused of murdering his mother when police discovered he had taken out three life insurance policies on her in the week before her death.
How Colleen Rebelo died remains unknown
Colleen Rebelo’s GP, Dr Niall Dermott Barrett, told the WA Supreme Court it was unlikely she died from a medical condition she had been living with for some time. Image: Facebook
Days after Ms Rebelo died, her son started the claims process to access the incentives that would earn him $1.15 million.
He too submitted forged documents to one of the insurers, including false medical information about his mother, a false coroner’s report on her death and her last will and testament.
The insurer suspected the claim was fraudulent and reported it to the police.
Mr Rebelo pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud relating to the forged documents.
Ms. Rebelo’s death, while unexpected, was not considered suspicious by first responders who were called to her home when she died.
Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with his model ex-partner) has pleaded not guilty
Medical experts, including Ms Rebelo’s GP, Dr Niall Barrett, and an endocrinologist Timothy Welborn, both gave evidence at the trial and told the court Ms Rebelo was healthy when she died.
Both witnesses said it was unlikely that Ms Rebelo died suddenly or from the medical conditions she was living with at the time of her death.
The process continues.
