A forensic pathologist told a court that a person could be rendered unconscious within 10 seconds and then killed without leaving a mark on their body using martial arts and law enforcement techniques.
Dr. Reimar Junckerstorff testified at the murder trial of Andre Zachary Rebelo before the Washington Supreme Court.
Rebelo is alleged to have murdered his mother Colleen Rebelo in May 2020 to gain more than $1 million from three life insurance policies he took out against her the week before her death.
He pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to fraud, and admitted that he submitted falsified documents to one of the insurers after his mother’s death.
During further questioning by state prosecutor Brett Tooker, Dr. Junckerstorff said Depriving a person of oxygen by blocking their airways and compressing their carotid arteries impairs blood flow to the brain.
He said the technique was once used by law enforcement and in martial arts when a person would tighten their arm around the neck to suppress the carotid arteries and close them.
“This is a suffocation event,” he said.
‘It usually doesn’t leave a mark if you hold it down long enough (you can kill a person).
Colleen Rebelo (pictured) was found dead at her home in Bicton, south-west of Perth, 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 irreversible changes occur in the brain.”
During a further examination, the doctor told the court that it was possible that the wounds found on Ms Rebelo’s body came from an attacker who suffocated her with an object such as a pillow.
He said the pillow would act as a cushion and, because it was soft, would be less likely to cause bruising or abrasion-type injuries.
During defense cross-examination, Dr. Junckerstorff told the court that the type of injuries found on Ms. Rebelo’s body during her autopsy were not the type of injuries that would be found on a murdered person.
Dr. Junckerstorff performed an autopsy on Ms. Rebelo three days after her death, but despite ancillary tests the cause of her death could not be determined.
A forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy on Colleen Rebelo told defense lawyer Anthony Elliott (pictured) that the injuries he found on her body would not have caused her death.
Under questioning by defense attorney Anthony Elliott, the doctor agreed 16 wounds 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 everyday life, as part of minor bumps and injuries,” he said.
The doctor told the court that it was possible that Mrs Rebelo had died from an allergic reaction and that there would be no post-mortem signs.
He said it was possible for a collapsed person to block their airway if they were leaning forward enough.
The doctor said there were multiple reasons why someone would suddenly collapse, including an abnormal heartbeat, drug poisoning, diabetic coma and an epileptic seizure.
Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with his ex Gracie Piscopo) is accused of killing his mother to make more than $1 million from life insurance policies he took out days before her death.
On Thursday, Dr Junckerstorff told the court he could not rule out that the mother of four died from asphyxiation.
He said it was possible for people to die from suffocation or suffocation, without any discernible signs in their post-mortem body or brain.
“You can hit people and not leave a bruise, it’s less common,” he told the WA Supreme Court on Thursday.
The forensic pathologist agreed with defense attorney Anthony Elliott If Mrs. Rebelo had been asphyxiated, it would be possible that she had injuries such as defensive wounds, but she did not observe those types of injuries on her body.
He said it was more common for police to carry out tracing work and take nail scrapings than pathologists.
A forensic pathologist told State Attorney Brett Tooker (pictured) that a person could be knocked unconscious within 10 seconds and then killed without leaving a mark on their body during the murder trial of Andre Zachary Rebelo.
The Washington Supreme Court was told that Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with his ex Gracie Piscopo) took out three life insurance policies against his mother in the week before her death and then began the claims process three days later of his death.
Dr Junckerstorff told the court that the autopsy revealed Ms Rebelo had blood spots on her eyelids that would be present with asphyxiation, CPR, a chest injury or neck compression.
He said blood spots on the eyelids occurred when there was an obstruction in the nose or mouth that prevented the person from breathing.
He performed a CT scan of Ms. Rebelo’s body which revealed that she did not have any bleeding in the brain, skull fractures or skeletal injuries.
He found injuries to her face and body, including bruises and an abrasion to her eyebrows, along with some bruises and abrasions to her hands, arms and legs.
When Mr Elliott asked him if the bruise on his eyebrow could have been caused by a punch, he replied: “Yes.”
Dr Junckerstorff told the court that bruising on the back of Ms Rebelo’s left hand, wrist and forearm could have been due to force or grip, and that injuries around her eyebrows were consistent with an injury. collapse type.
Andre Zachary Rebelo (pictured with his ex Gracie Piscopo) pleaded guilty to submitting falsified documents to one of the insurers with which he took out a life insurance policy against his mother.
Colleen Rebelo’s GP Dr Niall Dermott Barrett (pictured) told the WA Supreme Court she was unlikely to die due to a medical condition she had been living with for some time.
Ms Rebelo was found dead at her home in Bicton, south-west of Perth. on May 25, 2020 by her youngest son, Fabián, after she failed to pick him up from work that day.
Days after Rebelo’s death, his eldest son, Andre, began the claim process to access the bonuses he created against him, in which he could earn $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 regarding 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, although 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 endocrinologist Timothy Welborn, gave evidence at the trial and told the court Ms Rebelo was healthy when she died.
Both witnesses said it was unlikely that Mrs. Rebelo died suddenly or from medical conditions she had been experiencing at the time of her death.
The trial continues.
