Murder Under the Friday Night Lights: Where is Jacob Ybarra and Sabion Kubitza's killer Zamar Kirven now?

The 23-year-old star football player from Mart, Texas, Zamar Kirven, found himself in the middle of a drug-fuelled double murder in 2021 as he shot his two friends, Jacob D’Shaun Ybarra and Sabion Ramone Kubitza dead in their sleep. The cousins Ybarra and Kubitza were friends with Kivern and the three played football together.

Zamar D. Kirven had allegedly been high on LSD when he shot his friends. He attempted to murder his best friend, Shatydrick Bailey, as well. Kivern was arrested and charged with capital murder on April 18, 2021, and was subsequently sentenced to sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald. Zamar is presently incarcerated in the McLennan County Jail.

Murder Under the Friday Night Lights Season 3, Episode 7 showcases the downfall of local star footballer, Zamar Kirven, as the synopsis reads:

"The Ybarra family wake to find their son Jacob and his best friend, Sabion, shot to death; as star football players for their high schools, the murders shatter two small Texas towns; the tragedy worsens when the community learns who the killer is."

The episode titled Breaking Bonds airs on February 21, 2024, at 10 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery.

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of murder and gun violence. Reader discretion is advised.

---

Why was Zamar Kirven arrested? Details explored

Zamar Kivern, the local star footballer of Mart, was arrested and charged with the capital murder of his friends Jacob D’Shaun Ybarra and Sabion Ramone Kubitza on April 18, 2021. Kivern played on the Mart State Championship team after which he went on to play two seasons with the University of Houston Cougars. He was voted “most likely to become famous” in his high school yearbook, per the Houston Chronicle.

The 23-year-old 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker who had dreams of making it to the NFL, was suspended for “violation of team rules” during the COVID pandemic after five games that defined his career. Kirven had problems with his academics and was furthermore suspended from the University of Houston after charges of carrying a gun without a license in 2019.

On April 18, 2021, Zamar Kirven shot his two friends, Jacob Ybarra, 20, and Sabion Kubitza, 23, to death while they were asleep in their home with a Glock 9 mm. Kirven had attempted to shoot his best friend, Shatydrick Bailey, but he escaped narrowly. However, Zamar Kirven woke up Ybarra's parents who lived in the same house, and admitted to killing their son and his cousin while he was high and paranoid on LSD.

Kirven, Ybarra, and Bailey were teammates on the 2017 Mart state championship football team, per the Houston Chronicle. However, Ybarra's cousin, Sabion Kubitza, was from Riesel High School's team.

After confronting Ybarra's father, Anthony Medlock, Zamar Kivern made a run for his father's home in bloody socks. Anthony Medlock had already found his son dead in Sabion Kubitza's room and had taken the murder weapon out of Kivern's control. Medlock handed the weapon to the first officer responding to the situation.

---

Where is Zamar Kivern now?

The investigators made use of statements from witnesses and forensic analysts studied DNA, gunshot residue, and ballistics from the crime scene which led to Zamar Kirven's arrest on April 18, 2021. He was charged with the capital murder of Jacob Ybarra and Sabion Kubitza.

Zamar was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is presently in the McLennan County Jail.