Left inset: Cecil Mains (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department). Right inset: Jeri Mains (GoFundMe). Background: The Indiana home where Jeri Mains was shot and killed by her husband in front of their four children (WTHR).
An Indianapolis man will spend decades in prison after killing his wife in front of their four children, just days after she sought a protective order accusing him of domestic abuse.
Cecil Mains, 47, was sentenced Monday to 45 years behind bars followed by five years of probation for the December 2025 murder of his wife, Jeri Mains, 44. Court records also prohibit him from contacting the couple’s children throughout his sentence.
“After age 18, protected persons can petition the court to lift no contact orders,” according to minutes from Monday’s sentencing hearing.
Mains pleaded guilty to murder on Aug. 26. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, he used a .380-caliber handgun to shoot Jeri, striking her in the heart, liver and spine. Each of the couple’s four children called police after witnessing the shooting. They were 19, 16, 14 and 10 years old.
“My dad is shooting my mom!” the 10-year-old told a 911 dispatcher, according to the affidavit.
“I’m hiding,” the child said. “My mom has a restraining order against him. … I can’t live without her.”
Investigators said the 14-year-old was the first to call 911, followed by the 19-year-old and 16-year-old. The affidavit described “a lot of commotion in the background” during the calls.
“My dad just shot my mom,” the 19-year-old said. “He shot her in the house and in the driveway!”
Jeri Mains filed a protective-order petition against her husband on Christmas Day, three days before the fatal shooting, court records show. Because the filing was made on a holiday, a judge could not approve it while court offices were closed, local ABC affiliate WRTV and The Indianapolis Star reported.
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In the petition, Jeri identified herself as a domestic-violence victim and alleged that Cecil assaulted her with kitchen tongs on Christmas Eve, leaving her with a laceration and bruises. Court officials confirmed to Law&Crime last week that the petition existed but said it was confidential.
Police said Jeri’s brother told them she had “caught Cecil cheating on her” and had made him move out of their home, although the timing was unclear. The affidavit states that Cecil “began living with his brother.”
Jeri’s brother also told investigators that she had discussed Cecil’s alleged physical abuse, including incidents detailed in her December 2025 protective-order petition.
The IndyStar reported that Jeri’s petition alleged Cecil punched a computer during an argument on Dec. 10, causing a cup of hot chocolate to spill on her. She also reportedly said he punched her in the face during a November dispute, making her nose bleed and leaving her face bruised. Earlier in 2025, he allegedly smashed the driver’s-side window of her truck and repeatedly threatened to kill their four children and pets, according to the newspaper.
“[The 14-year-old child] stated in a previous disturbance she heard her father say he was going to kill them,” the affidavit says.
According to the petition, Cecil met Jeri in a courthouse parking lot on Christmas Eve after she told him she planned to file for divorce. Jeri said she recorded a conversation in which her husband threatened to kill himself in front of her and their children.
The IndyStar reported that a Marion County judge was unable to review Jeri’s protective-order petition because the judge’s office was closed from Dec. 24 through Dec. 28.
Authorities said Cecil shot Jeri in front of their children, left her body in the driveway and fled in his Toyota Tundra. Police arrested him the next day after locating the vehicle and pulling him over.
“These kids have … endured more than any child should,” a GoFundMe description says. “All their lives have changed.”
