Before killing his children in Miami Lakes, father had history of domestic, mental troubles

Before he shot and killed his two young children along a canal in Miami Lakes, Humberto Christian Tovar Zapata tried to portray himself on Instagram as a doting father. In one of his last posts, he proudly posed in a black-and-white selfie with his daughter, Valeria, 12, and son, Matias, 9.

But behind the social-media facade, according to interviews and new police reports obtained by the Miami Herald, there were troubling signs the 41-year-old Tovar was spiraling toward violence.

The day before the murders, his estranged wife walked into the Hialeah police station to report that he’d vandalized her car after briefly visiting with the children. On two other occasions, she’d reported Tovar’s aggressive behavior to police, although there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest him.

He also struggled with bipolar disorder that made him quick to snap, and at least twice tried to kill himself, family said.

“I wish people would see him with love and compassion,” said his aunt, Marta Laverde. “It can happen to anyone. We are not free of mental health problems.”

Three days after the shocking murders and suicide, a clearer picture was emerging of Tovar and his estranged family, who lived in Hialeah. The children’s mother is now raising money for the family on GoFundMe.

Valeria attended Hialeah Educational Academy, where grief counselors were on hand this week for students reeling from the deaths. Friends left notes of remembrance and candles outside the school. Matias attended Hialeah’s Tutor Me Academy, where his sister had previously attended.

“His last report was all A-pluses,” said the school’s tearful owner, Amarys Marine, who described both siblings as smart with perfect attendance records. “We’re very devastated.”

The two also attended after-school karate classes at Rising Sun Karate School in Hialeah. “They enjoyed the competition. They were happy little kids and enjoyed being in the dojo,” said Luis Lahera, who runs the school with his son, Louis Lahera. “It hit us very hard. It’s a great loss.”

Tovar, who went by Christian, worked at a bicycle shop and lived in North Miami-Dade. He’d been separated from his wife but regularly saw his children.

His aunt said Tovar had been undergoing treatment, was on and off medication and that he tried to end his life several times when he was in his 20s. His mother also said he’d been committed for psychiatric evaluations under Florida’s Baker Act at least twice.

Tovar had no criminal history, save for a minor arrest for having drug paraphernalia in 2001 — a case that was dropped.

Brushes with Police

More recently, in March 2019, Hialeah officers were dispatched to the family’s home after they got into a “heated verbal argument over filing for divorce,” according to a police report obtained by the Herald. She told police Tovar pushed her onto the couch, got on top of her and began “yelling profanities.”

She received a minor cut on her finger, the police report said, in breaking free from his grasp. Officers offered to take her to a shelter and she declined, the report said. She later told a detective that Tovar is bipolar and gets upset quickly.” Tovar, however, claimed that she pushed him first and “at no time would he intentionally harm” the woman.

Because there were no independent witnesses — and officers could not determine who was the “primary aggressor,” no arrest was made.

The following year, in 2020, the mother showed up to the Hialeah police station to report that Tovar got mad because she didn’t want to have sex and became “aggressive toward her.” She kicked him in the chest, and he left her alone, sleeping that night in the living room, according to a police report.

She decided against going to a domestic-violence shelter, and did not want police to take photos of her. She told police officers she was going to get a restraining order against Tovar. Records show that no restraining order petition was filed in Miami-Dade County.

A detective followed up. Tovar denied assaulting his wife. But because of the delayed disclosure, and lack of physical evidence or independent witnesses, no arrest was made and the wife was referred to the State Attorney’s Office. It does not appear she complained to prosecutors; the officer said Monday it could find no record she did.

By August 2021, she and Tovar had separated.

On Sunday night, Tovar visited their kids at her house to “spend time with them in the parking lot.” After about half an hour, the mother took the kids inside because it was past their bedtime. Tovar “became upset,” according to the police report.

The next morning, the mother found her car had been vandalized, with damage all along the right side. A review of her surveillance camera revealed Tovar was to blame, the report said. “I’m not paying anything, I will take you to court and take away the kids,” he told her when she called to ask him to pay for damages.

She reported the case to police on Monday.

On Tuesday night, Tovar picked up the kids and took them to their favorite Hialeah restaurant, Mi Sandwich Cubano in Hialeah, according to family. Then, with his kids at his side next to the lake, he called his mother, Luz Kuznitz.

“He asked his mother if she wanted to say hello to the children. She asked the kids if they were having a good time and they said they were fine,” Laverde said.

“He loved his children. He had great memories with them,” said his cousin Katherine Zapata.

But police say that Tovar, armed with a stolen gun, took the children to a canal bank on the 6400 block of Miami Lakes Drive, near a Publix supermarket, and shot them dead. Then, he turned the gun on himself.

Before the shootings, Tovar contacted his wife either by text or phone and whatever he told her had her worried enough to contact police and frantically begin searching for the children. Laverde said after being informed of the tragedy she went to place a candle at Tovar’s apartment and neighbors there said police had come by earlier desperately trying to find Tovar.

But it was too late. The children’s mother had tracked her kids’ phones to the canal bank — where she made the tragic discovery.

This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 5:36 PM.