A mourner who turned heads at the funeral of slain coke kingpin Alen Moradian – with the word ‘death’ dramatically tattooed across his forehead – has undergone a remarkable transformation.
Kyle Shepherd, 39, stood out in the crowd of gangsters, bikies and family friends of the underworld supremo at St Hurmizd’s Cathedral in Greenfield Park in Sydney’s west on Wednesday.
Wearing a grey overcoat and designer sunglasses, his distinctive hood of tattoos caught the eye as he entered the Assyrian church alongside at least one top Comanchero figure, one-time Rebels bigwig Jesse Vella.
Moradian’s funeral featured several senior figures of the bikie underworld, including Newcastle-based Comancheros Kurt Mifsud and Jon Oniele – who has the word ‘Comanchero’ branded on his forehead.
Kyle Shepherd, the mourner pictured at the funeral of slain coke kingpin Alen Moradian with DEATH tattooed across his forehead, is a convicted drug dealer who was jailed for 13 years.
Kyle Sherherd (right, alongside gold-bedecked co-accused Michael Hawcroft) was a fresh-faced twenty-something when he was involved in a major Newcastle drug ring in 2009
Father of two Kyle Shepherd married his wife Cassie Kirsch in 2020 (pictured on their wedding day) after he was released from jail on parole
Shepherd, who also sports a jewel-encrusted nose ring, is a former nightclub bouncer who spent almost a decade behind bars for his role in a major drug supply ring.
He is also one of the 34 men that Comanchero national president Alan Meehan is banned from contacting under the conditions of a 2022 serious crime prevention order.
Shepherd and two colleagues supplied almost 30,000 ecstasy pills across Newcastle in late 2009, trafficking them from Sydney to sell to small-time dealers.
Pictures from the time show him alongside his gold-bedecked co-accused, a fresh-faced twenty-something with boy next door looks.
But by the time he walked out of jail in January 2019 after serving his minimum nine years, father-of-two Shepherd was already covered with tattoos all over his body.
And in the three years since, he has added even more, with the DEATH tattoo one of his most recent additions, with the phrase ‘Gotta be easy’ inked underneath.
Since being freed from jail, Kyle Shepherd has had ‘Death gotta be easy’ tattooed across his face (pictured)
It’s believed to be a lyric from gangsta rapper 50cent’s track Many Men (Wish Death) which includes the line: ‘Death gotta be easy cause life is hard.’
The song adds: ‘It’ll leave you physically, mentally, and emotionally scarred.’
Other facial tattoos include a chin piece saying ‘Est 89’ (his year of birth), four in roman numerals on his right cheek, and a red arrow pointing up on his throat.
He also has the name Kyra tattooed over his left eyebrow and an image of a sword cutting a hatchet in two, above the slogan DIE BY.
Shepherd, who uses the nickname AP3X, is still based in Newcastle since getting out of jail, where his lives with his tattooed wife Cassie.
He breeds American bulldogs for sale which he promotes on Instagram under the name Body-Count Bully Camp.
His own personal Instagram account bears his motto: ‘Came from s**** but wouldn’t change for s***”
It proudly proclaims ‘Father 1st’ but it adds ‘ALWAYS’ in between blocks of Comanchero bikie gang’s distinctive yellow and black colours and eagle emojis.
His wife – who has a dragon and plant-themed sleeve of tattoos – runs an eyelash studio in Cardiff in Newcastle’s south which also offers cosmetic eyebrow tattoos.
The pair married in 2020 after he was freed on parole, and her own Instagram bears the motto: ‘Ain’t no hood like Motherhood’ and adds: ‘Gratitude is f***ing magic’.
Cassie Shepherd’s Instagram proudly proclaims: ‘Ain’t no hood like Motherhood’ and adds: ‘Gratitude is f***ing magic’
Cassie Shepherd – who has a dragon and plant-themed sleeve of tattoos – runs an eyelash studio in Cardiff in Newcastle’s south which also offers cosmetic eyebrow tattoos
Kyle Shepherd breeds American bulldogs for sale which he promotes on Instagram under the name Body-Count Bully Camp (pictured)
Moradian was said to be one of the founders of The Commission cartel which is said to run the cocaine industry across Sydney with the Comanchero.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Shepherd is a bikie, although he has made no secret of his links to the bikies.
In 2021, he tagged a friend in the comments section of a story about a drug bust on the NSW Central Coast linked to former Comanchero boss Mark Buddle.
And just a few months ago he was tagged in a story about the founder of the outlaw motorcycle gang.
Shepherd was pictured alongside at least one high-ranking member of the Comanchero gang at Wednesday’s funeral – patched over former Rebels boss Jesse Vella (left)
Also seen with Vella (left) were bikies Kurt Mifsud (centre, behind hooded man) and Jon Oniele (right) – who has Comanchero tattooed across his forehead
Alen Moradian, 48, (pictured) was on parole for importing 40kg of cocaine when he was shot dead in an Audi in an underground carpark at Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east on June 27
Shepherd was jailed in 2011 after he was busted for his part in the sale of more than 3kg of ecstasy pills which had a street value of up to $300,000.
Within the ring, he was responsible for five deals – which included the distribution of 4000, 1100, 4370 and 5600 tablets, for which he charged between $10.75 and $11.25 a pill.
Moradian’s funeral was a who’s who of Sydney’s underworld, with media threatened to steer clear.
‘Don’t you know who these people are?’ one guard asked a Daily Mail Australia photographer. ‘They will break your f***ing face.’
Moradian, 48, was on parole for importing 40kg of cocaine when he was shot dead in an Audi in an underground carpark at Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east on June 27.
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