A mother in Texas shot her four-year-old daughter to death and then turned the gun on herself in a murder-suicide, hours after a custody hearing that had gone against her.
Cibelle Savella, 35, was due to hand over her daughter, Vivian, to her ex-husband, Aaron Savella, on Tuesday night. Instead, she went home and shot the child before the handover was due to take place, then killed herself, Houston Police Lieutenant Larry Crowson said.
Custody ruling triggered tragedy
“There was a custody hearing earlier today that didn’t go well for the mother. She came home, shot her 4-year-old, and then shot herself,” Crowson told reporters in the aftermath.
The girl is believed to have died immediately, but the mother was still alive when emergency services arrived, reportedly alerted by neighbours. She was taken to hospital but died a day later.
Bitter legal battle over Vivian
Savella, originally from Brazil, divorced Aaron in November 2024 after four years of marriage, sparking a bitter legal battle over their daughter. During the court case earlier that day, it is claimed the mother was banned from speaking to her daughter in her native Portuguese unless one of the supervisors could speak the language, because the father believed she was being abused.
She was also barred from attending school performances and extracurricular activities, ordered to pay child support and cover 50% of any out-of-pocket medical expenses. It is not immediately clear why Savella lost custody and faced such stringent restrictions.
Family speaks of loss
Attorney Stefani Shapiro, representing the father, said Aaron never alleged Cibelle physically abused Vivian but believed the girl was “potentially being emotionally abused” by her mother.
“Our family is devastated. Vivian was four years old. She was loved without limit by her father, Aaron, and by everyone whose life she touched. There are no words for what has been taken from us,” Shapiro said in a statement on behalf of Aaron and his family.
