A Houston mother killed her four-year-old daughter and later died after shooting herself, hours after a custody hearing placed the child primarily in the care of her father.
Cibelle Savella, 35, was told at the hearing on Tuesday morning that she could only see Vivian under supervision by Guardians of Hope, an organisation that provides supervised contact and child exchanges in high-conflict custody cases.
Harris County Judge Audrie Lawton-Evans gave Vivian’s father, private equity lawyer Aaron Savella, 37, exclusive authority to make decisions about the girl’s care, according to a court docket entry.
Vivian was due to be handed over to Aaron that evening. Instead, police said, Cibelle shot the child at the family’s townhouse in a gated Houston community before turning the gun on herself.
Houston Police Lieutenant Larry Crowson said Cibelle and Vivian were found upstairs after shots were heard at the property at about 5.45pm. Vivian died at the scene, while her mother was taken to hospital and initially expected to survive.
Cibelle died from her injuries on Thursday afternoon. She died before she could be charged with any offence, while homicide detectives had been investigating Vivian’s death.
“There was a custody hearing earlier today that didn’t go well for the mother,” Lieutenant Crowson said on Tuesday night. “She came home, shot her four-year-old and then shot herself.”
Cibelle’s husband, Greg Kubala, and a babysitter were inside the home when the shooting happened. Police said there was no suggestion that either had been involved; they heard the gunshots, went upstairs and began performing CPR on the mother and child.
Custody restrictions imposed at hearing
The court order required Cibelle’s contact with Vivian to take place under the supervision of Guardians of Hope. It also said she could not speak to her daughter in Portuguese unless the supervisor was fluent in the language.
The judge ruled that Vivian would primarily live with Aaron, who would have sole responsibility for decisions about her schooling, medical care and mental health treatment.
Cibelle was ordered to pay child support and contribute half of Vivian’s out-of-pocket medical expenses. She was also barred from attending school activities, including lunches, performances and field trips, and could not consent to emergency medical, dental or surgical treatment.
Earlier court filings had prohibited both parents from disparaging one another in front of Vivian, or allowing her to spend time with people who did so in her presence.
Aaron and Cibelle married in 2020 and had been involved in a prolonged legal dispute since she filed for divorce in November 2022. Their divorce was finalised in 2024, but both later sought protective orders against the other.
In a statement issued through his lawyers, Aaron said he and his family were “devastated” by what had happened.
“Aaron did everything the law asks of a parent who is trying to protect his child. He trusted the courts. He followed every order. He waited for the process to work,” the statement said.
“On Tuesday, a judge placed Vivian in his primary care, and she was supposed to come home to him that evening. She never did.”
Cibelle, who was originally from Brazil, used the surname Kubala on social media and in some court documents. Kubala has owned and operated a Chick-fil-A franchise in Houston since 1998, according to his social media profiles.
