A Texas father has shared a heart-wrenching statement following the tragic death of his 4-year-old daughter, Vivian, at the hands of his ex-wife, Cibelle Savella, in a murder-suicide incident. It was revealed that they were not alone in the house when the incident occurred.
Cibelle, 35, was expected to hand over Vivian to Aaron Savella on Tuesday night. Instead, she fatally shot their daughter in their Houston home before taking her own life, as reported by the Houston Police Department and a family attorney.
Attorney Stefani Shapiro, representing Aaron, noted that while Aaron did not accuse Cibelle of physically abusing Vivian, he felt that the child might have been subjected to emotional distress by her mother.
“Our family is devastated. Vivian was just four. She was loved unconditionally by her father, Aaron, and everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. There are simply no words to express the loss we feel,” Shapiro remarked on behalf of Aaron’s family.
“Aaron did everything the law demands from a parent striving to protect their child. He trusted the system, adhered to every ruling, and waited for the legal process to unfold. But on that Tuesday, a judge granted him primary custody, and Vivian was meant to come home that evening. Tragically, she never made it back.”
The statement emphasized that “fathers who calmly and patiently fight within legal bounds to protect their children often remain unheard.”
Police arrived at the home around 5:45 PM, discovering Vivian deceased and Cibelle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the third floor.
Cibelle’s new husband, Greg Kubala, a restaurateur, and a babysitter were present in the home during the shooting and reportedly rushed into the child’s room after hearing the shots. They are not believed to have been involved in the incident.
Cibelle was hospitalized initially but succumbed to her injuries the following day, according to reports from the police.
Before the tragedy, during a custody hearing on the same day, Cibelle learned that Aaron had been granted exclusive decision-making rights regarding Vivian’s care.
Cibelle, originally from Brazil, divorced Aaron in November 2024 after a tumultuous four-year marriage, which had led to an arduous legal battle over their daughter.
The judge had ruled that Cibelle could only interact with Vivian while being supervised by a Texas-based group, Guardians of Hope. Additionally, she was required to provide child support, cover half of Vivian’s out-of-pocket medical costs, and was barred from attending school events or consenting to any medical decisions for her daughter.
It was reported that they were prohibited from speaking negatively about each other in front of Vivian.
Cibelle’s legal representatives did not respond to requests for comments.
