Autopsy reveals Colleen Rebelo’s horrific injuries after she was allegedly murdered by her influential crypto trader son, but one big question remains.

A forensic psychologist who performed the 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 for people to die from suffocation or suffocation, with no noticeable signs on their bodies or brains post-mortem.

“You can hit people and not leave a bruise, it’s less common,” he told the WA Supreme Court on Thursday.

Dr. Junckerstorff was testifying in the murder trial of Andre Zachary Rebelo, accused of killing his mother to cash in on life insurance policies he took out against her the week before she died.

He has pleaded not guilty to her murder.

The forensic pathologist agreed with defense attorney Anthony Elliott if Ms. Rebelo had been drowned, it would be possible for her to have injuries such as defensive wounds, but she did not observe such injuries on her body.

He said it was more common for the police to do trace work and scrape the nails rather than the pathologists.

It is not yet known how Ms Rebelo died, and Dr Junckerstorff told the court that ancillary evidence on her body did not help determine the cause of her death.

Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with his ex-model partner Gracie Piscopo) is accused of killing his mother to cash in on life insurance policies he took out against her the week before she died.

Days after his mother’s death, Rebelo began the claims process to access the premiums he was in to earn $1.15 million.

Dr Junckerstorff performed an autopsy on Ms Rebelo three days after she died, telling the court she had bloodstains on her eyelids that would be present with asphyxiation, CPR, a chest injury or neck compression.

Dr. Junckerstorff said the blood spots on the eyelids occurred when there was an obstruction in the nose or mouth so that a person could not breathe.

He performed a CT scan of Ms. Rebelo’s body that revealed she had no bleeding on the brain, skull fractures or skeletal injuries.

He found injuries to his face and body, including bruises and an abrasion to his eyebrows, along with some bruises and abrasions to his hands, arms and legs.

When asked by Mr Elliott if the bruise on his eyebrow could have come from a punch, he replied “yes”.

Dr Junckerstorff told the court the bruises on the back of Ms Rebelo’s left hand, wrist and forearm could have come from force or grabbing, and injuries around her eyebrows were consistent with an injury collapse type.

Ms Rebelo was found dead at her home in Bicton, south-west of Perth on May 25, 2020 by her young son Fabian after she failed to pick him up from work that day.

Rebelo was charged with his mother’s murder when police discovered he took out three life insurance policies against her in the week before her death.

It is not known how Colleen Rebelo died

Colleen Rebelo’s GP, Dr Niall Dermott Barrett, told the WA Supreme Court it was unlikely she would die from a medical condition she had been living with for some time. Image: Facebook

Days after Ms. Rebelo’s death, her son began the claims process to access the premiums she was in to win $1.15 million.

He too submitted falsified documents to one of the insurers, including false medical information about his mother, a false coroner’s report of her death, and her last will and testament.

The insurer suspected the claim was fraudulent and reported it to the police.

Rebelo pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud in connection with the forged documents.

Ms. Rebelo’s death, while unexpected, was not treated as suspicious by first responders who were called to her home when she died.

Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with his ex-model partner) has pleaded not guilty

Medical experts, including Ms Rebelo’s GP Dr Niall Barrett and an endocrinologist Timothy Welborn, gave evidence at the trial, telling the court that Ms Rebelo was healthy when she died.

The two witnesses said it was unlikely that Ms. Rebelo died suddenly or from medical conditions she had been living with at the time of her death.

The trial continues.