Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 45 Years for Killing Wife in Front of Four Children

Cecil Mains, 47, shot his wife Jeri dead in their Indianapolis home days after she filed a protective order. All four children witnessed the killing and called 911.

Indianapolis Man Gets 45 Years for Killing Wife as Children Watched and Called 911

Cecil Mains, 47, of Indianapolis, was sentenced Monday to 45 years in prison — plus five years on probation — for the murder of his wife, Jeri Mains, 44, in December 2025. According to Law & Crime, all four of the couple's children witnessed the killing and each called 911 as it unfolded.

"My dad is shooting my mom!" the youngest child, aged 10, told a dispatcher. "I'm hiding. My mom has a restraining order against him. … I can't live without her."

The 14-year-old was the first to call, followed by the 19-year-old and the 16-year-old. The 19-year-old told the dispatcher: "He shot her in the house and in the driveway!"

Shooting days after protective order filing

Cecil Mains pleaded guilty to murder on Aug. 26. A probable cause affidavit obtained by Law & Crime states that he shot Jeri Mains with a .380 handgun, striking her in the heart, liver, and spine. He then left her body in the driveway and fled in his Toyota Tundra. He was arrested the following day after authorities spotted and stopped his vehicle.

Jeri Mains had filed for a protective order against her husband on Christmas Day — just three days before the shooting. Because the petition was filed on a holiday, a Marion County judge was unable to sign off on it; court offices had been closed from Dec. 24–28. Local outlets WRTV and The Indianapolis Star reported the procedural delay.

Court officials confirmed the existence of the petition to Law & Crime but described the document as "confidential."

A pattern of alleged abuse

The protective order petition described a sustained pattern of violence. According to The Indianapolis Star, Cecil Mains allegedly punched his wife in the face during a fight in November, causing her nose to bleed and her face to bruise. At the start of 2025, he allegedly punched out the driver's side window of her truck. The 14-year-old child told investigators that in a prior disturbance, she had heard her father threaten to kill the family.

"[The 14-year-old] stated in a previous disturbance she heard her father say he was going to kill them," the affidavit notes.

On Christmas Eve, Cecil Mains met Jeri Mains in a court parking lot after she told him she intended to file for divorce. She said she recorded a conversation in which he threatened to kill himself in front of her and the children. That same evening, the affidavit states, he assaulted her with kitchen tongs, causing a laceration and bruising.

Infidelity and forced separation cited as motive

The probable cause affidavit states that Jeri Mains' brother told investigators she had discovered Cecil Mains was cheating on her and had him move out of the family home. "He began living with his brother," the affidavit says. The brother also confirmed that Jeri had spoken about Cecil being physically abusive toward her on multiple occasions.

The court records indicate Cecil Mains was ordered to have no contact with the couple's children for the full duration of his sentence. A note in the sentencing minutes states: "After age 18, protected persons can petition the court to lift no contact orders."

Children left without both parents

A GoFundMe set up for the family described the toll the killing has taken on the four children. "These kids have … endured more than any child should," the page reads. "All their lives have changed."

The children were 10, 14, 16, and 19 years old at the time of the shooting.

Source: Law & Crime