Andre Rebelo murder trial: Influencer Gracie Piscopo asked about ex’s $500,000 cryptocurrency promise

Mega-influencer Gracie Piscopo is said to have told police that Andre Rebelo had promised her he was about to withdraw $500,000 from his cryptocurrency accounts – a week before he is alleged to have murdered his mother. For a second day, Ms Piscopo made a dramatic entrance into the trial of her former partner, who is accused of murdering Colleen Rebelo in May 2020 in order to claim on life insurance policies. Mr Rebelo is the one who the court has heard took out those policies in the days before his mother’s death. The largest of those was worth $500,000. And that is the one which he then made increasingly desperate attempts to claim on — including forging his mother’s will, two medical reports and a Coroner’s ‘finding’ which were all sent to RAC. Mr Rebelo has admitted to fraud charges relating to those documents. But he denies murdering his mother, whose cause of death has never been ascertained. On Monday, Ms Piscopo was called as a defence witness. On Tuesday, she returned and was quizzed about September 16, 2020 – the day Mr Rebelo was arrested about the frauds. And prosecutor Brett Tooker asked her about whether she remembered some of the information police say she provided. That included that “Andre Rebelo told you he was going to withdraw $500,000 … a week before his mother’s death” On the witness stand, Ms Piscopo said she could not remember, saying the day of Ms Rebelo’s death, and the day with the police were “traumatic.” She was asked several times whether she remembered telling the police about Mr Rebelo’s $500,000 promise. She said she didn’t. But she did confirm that after his mother’s death, he told her several times there was a delay with the money arriving, because of a problem with the bank. And that it never arrived. With a packed WA Supreme courtroom looking on, Ms Piscopo was earlier asked by Mr Rebelo’s barrister Tony Elliott about the first of those traumatic days – May 25, 2020. That was the day Ms Rebelo was found dead in the shower by her youngest child Fabian. And it was that morning that a string of angry texts and phone calls from Ms Piscopo to Andre went unanswered. Prosecutors say that silence was in the exact window of time Mr Rebelo was allegedly was murdering his mother. “ANDWRR YOUR F...ING PHOME – WHERR AEE YOU,” Ms Piscopo then wrote – before another seven calls in an eight-minute stretch also went unanswered. “Omg I swear to god Andre,” she then wrote. “Do you not have a phone??? What is wrong with you. “Answer for f...k sake. I’m fuming at you I’m so angry.” Asked about the flurry of phone activity, Ms Piscopo said she was “frustrated” “He had a habit of keeping his phone on silent. And I would get frustrated,” she said. He would constantly have it on silent - I couldn’t reach him - and I was angry. “I thought he was coming home to see my cousin and me - I was just trying to figure out where he was at.” Asked by Mr Elliott how he her partner and father of her son appeared when he did return home. Ms Piscopo said. “Just ordinary - I can’t remember because it was just ordinary,” she said. She noted nothing unusual and no injuries, she said. The trial continues.