A forensic pathologist has told a court a person could be rendered unconscious within 10 seconds then killed without a mark being left on their body using law enforcement and martial art techniques.
Dr Reimar Junckerstorff was giving evidence in Andre Zachary Rebelo’s murder trial in the WA Supreme Court.
It is alleged Mr Rebelo murdered his mother Colleen Rebelo in May 2020 to gain more than $1m from three life insurance policies he took out against her in the week before she died.
He pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to fraud, admitting he submitted forged documents to one of the insurers after his mother died.
During re-examination by state prosecutor Brett Tooker, Dr Junckerstorff said depriving a person of oxygen by blocking their airways and compressing their carotid arteries impaired blood flow to the brain.
He said the technique was once used by law enforcement and in martial arts when a person tightened their arm around the neck to suppress the carotid arteries and close them off.
‘This is an asphyxia event,’ he said.
‘It usually won’t leave a mark, if you keep the hold long enough (you can kill a person).
Colleen Rebelo (pictured) was found dead in her Bicton home, in Perth’s southwest on May 25, 2020 by her youngest son Fabian after she failed to pick him up from work that day
‘Once you are unconscious, which takes about 10 seconds, within minutes there are irreversible changes in the brain.’
During re-examination the doctor told the court it was possible the injuries found on Ms Rebelo’s body could have come from an attacker smothering her with an object such as a pillow.
He said the pillow would act as a cushion and because it was soft it would be less likely to cause bruising or abrasion type injuries.
During cross-examination by the defence, Dr Junckerstorff told court the type of injuries found on Ms Rebelo’s body during her autopsy were not the type of injuries you would find on a murdered person.
Dr Junckerstorff performed an autopsy on Ms Rebelo three days after she died, but despite auxiliary testing her cause of death could not be determined.
Defence lawyer Anthony Elliott (pictured) was told by a forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy on Colleen Rebelo that the injuries he found on her body would not have caused her death
Under questioning by defence lawyer Anthony Elliott, the doctor agreed 16 injuries he found on Ms Rebelo were not injuries that would have caused her death.
‘They are a common finding in all of us as part of day-to-day living, as part of knocks and minor injuries,’ he said.
The doctor told the court it was possible Ms Rebelo could have died from an allergic reaction, and there would not be any signs post mortem.
He said it was possible for a collapsed person to potentially block their airway if they were bent forward enough.
The doctor said there were multiple reasons why someone would collapse suddenly including an abnormal beating of the heart, drug intoxication, a diabetic coma and an epileptic seizure.
Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with ex Gracie Piscopo) is accused of killing his mother to gain more than $1m from life insurance policies he took out against her days before she died
On Thursday, Dr Junckerstorff told the court he could not rule out the mother of four died of asphyxia.
He said it was possible people could die from asphyxia, or smothering, without any noticeable signs on their body or brain post mortem.
‘You can strike people and not leave a bruise, it is less common,’ he told the WA Supreme Court on Thursday.
The forensic pathologist agreed with defence lawyer Anthony Elliott if Ms Rebelo had been smothered it would be possible she would have injuries such as defensive wounds, but he did not observe those types of injuries on her body.
He said it was more common for police to perform trace work and take fingernail scrapings rather than pathologists.
State prosecutor Brett Tooker (pictured) was told by a forensic pathologist that a person could be rendered unconscious within 10 seconds then killed without leaving a mark on their body during Andre Zachary Rebelo’s murder trial
The WA Supreme Court was told Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with his ex Gracie Piscopo) took out three life insurance policies against his mother during the week before she died, then started the claims process three days after she died
Dr Junckerstorff told the court the autopsy revealed Ms Rebelo had blood spots on her eyelids that would be present with asphyxia, CPR, a chest injury or neck compression.
He said blood spots on the eyelids occurred when there had been an obstruction to the nose or mouth so a person could not breathe.
He performed a CT scan of Ms Rebelo’s body which revealed she did not have any bleeding on the brain, skull fractures or skeletal injuries.
He found injuries on her face and body including bruising and an abrasion on her eyebrows, along with some bruising and abrasions on her hands, arms and legs.
When asked by Mr Elliott if the bruise on her eyebrow could have come from a blow from a fist he responded, ‘yes.’
Dr Junckerstorff told the court 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 a collapse type injury.
Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with his ex Gracie Piscopo) pleaded guilty to submitting forged documents to one of the insurers he took out a life insurance policy against his mother
Colleen Rebelo’s GP Dr Niall Dermott Barrett (pictured) told the WA Supreme Court it was unlikely she died from medical condition she had been living with for some time
Ms Rebelo was found dead in her Bicton home, in Perth’s southwest on May 25, 2020 by her youngest son Fabian after she failed to pick him up from work that day.
Days after Ms Rebelo died, her older son Andre started the claims process to access premiums he created against her, in which he stood to gain $1.15m.
He also submitted forged documents to one of the insurers, including false medical information about his mother, a fake coroner’s report about her death and her last will and testament.
The insurer suspected the claim was fraudulent and reported it to police.
Mr Rebelo pleaded guilty to four charges of fraud in relation to 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.
Medical experts including Ms Rebelo’s GP Dr Niall Barrett and an endocrinologist Timothy Welborn both gave evidence in the trial, telling the court Ms Rebelo was healthy when she died.
Both witnesses said it was unlikely Ms Rebelo died suddenly or from medical conditions she had been living with at the time of her death.
The trial continues.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk