Keana Mokbel’s shattered brother has shared his grief over the tragic loss of his little sister.
Anthony Mokbel – the nephew of former gang boss Tony Mokbel and son of Horty Mokbel – shared a series of moving images of Keana and him growing up in Melbourne.
Keana Mokbel, 25, died when her vehicle crashed into a tree on Southern Road in Heidelberg West at about 8:50 p.m. last Sunday.
Anthony, Tatiana and Keana Mokbel in happier times. Anthony Mokbel shared the photo in a touching tribute to Keana, who tragically passed away on April 17
Horty and Anthony Mokbel will carry Keana’s coffin to her funeral service on Tuesday
Residents tried to save the life of Keana Mokbel, who was killed when her car crashed into this tree
Keana’s uncle Tony is serving a 30-year sentence for drug trafficking.
Taking to social media on Anzac Day — hours after his sister said goodbye at Our Lady Of Lebanon Church in Thornbury — Mokbel Jnr paid tribute to Keana in a public post.
“How I wake up and pray this isn’t true but I am faced with the reality that I know it is and don’t want to believe it,” he wrote.
“This tragedy has darkened our whole heart with a black cloud that will cast a shadow over our heads and never leave us.”
On Tuesday, mourners poured out of the church – northeast of Melbourne – in their hundreds to pay their last respects to Keana, who entered the church to the sound of drums beating and church bells.
Mokbel Jr joined his father Horty among the pallbearers and carried her coffin up a large ramp to her service.
Keana was sent away in a traditional ceremony, with her coffin left open during the service.
The priest leading the mass told mourners that the church was decorated as if they were celebrating Keana’s wedding instead of her funeral.
“How I would climb mountains, take on armies across the world and shed blood to bring you back, but the harsh reality is I can’t,” Mokbel Jr. wrote.
You had the brightest smile, the loudest laugh, and you would always shine brighter than anyone else in the room. The love you had for your family was unconditional. Inseparable, incredible and unmistakable.’
Anthony Mokbel holds his little sister Keana in an image he shared on Facebook on Tuesday
Anthony and Keana Mokbel is a sweet picture of the couple as kids
Keana was killed when her car went off the road and crashed into a tree
Mokbel Jnr’s tragic message was accompanied by several photos of the couple in happier times.
A photo posted by his sister before her death showed a stony Mokbel Jr. who held her when she was just a baby.
“A1 bodyguard and protector since birth,” she wrote. “If you know my brother you know (and fear him and feel sorry for me lol). And yes, you will still be able to handle this deadly stare if you just dare to look at me, my sister or our mother.’
Another photo showed the couple embracing as children and then as adults along with their surviving younger sister.
Mokbel Jr. shared emotional memories of his childhood with his sister and how they argued over who should sleep over at their grandparents’ house.
“You would always get your way because you would throw a tantrum if you didn’t get it,” he wrote.
Emergency services at the scene of the accident that killed Keana Mokbel
Mokbel Jr. revealed that Keana modeled herself after her glamorous mother, who sported a head of bright red hair.
“We all know you idolized her,” he wrote. “The bond you shared with our little sister Tatiana – can never be replaced.”
Tatiana bravely read a prayer at her sister’s funeral and fought through her tears to finish it.
Mokbel Jr. said Keana had impressed everyone she met in her short life.
“From your school days to your days at Degani’s you have impacted more lives than you know and you have certainly left your mark on this world,” he wrote.
The circumstances surrounding Keana’s death remain a mystery to the public, with Victoria Police stating that a report would be prepared for the coroner.
Residents near Southern Rd in Heidelberg West reportedly heard a ‘bang’ and tried to save Keana, but she died at the scene.
“I was in my house and I heard a bang so I ran out and then looked up the road and realized there was all this smoke,” resident Karen told Channel 7.
“As I got further up, I realized the car had crashed into the tree.”
