INDIANAPOLIS — A mother of four was shot and killed in her driveway in broad daylight, allegedly by her husband, as their children watched in horror just days after she filed for a protective order against him on Christmas Day. Jerry Mains, 35, was pronounced dead at a hospital on December 28 after being gunned down outside the family home in a quiet Indianapolis neighborhood, according to police reports.
Her husband, Cecil Mains, was arrested the following day and made his initial court appearance on January 5, where he was ordered held without bond. He now faces a murder charge. The couple’s four children, ages 10, 14, 17, and 19, witnessed varying parts of the violent confrontation that claimed their mother’s life.
The tragedy unfolded after what court documents describe as a prolonged period of domestic terror within the home. According to a protective order petition filed by Jerry Mains and obtained by the Indianapolis Star, she detailed years of alleged threats and violence culminating in a series of frightening incidents in December.
The petition states that on Christmas Eve, Cecil Mains threw a pair of tongs at his wife, cutting and bruising her. The day prior, on December 23, he allegedly threatened to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 her and himself in a courthouse parking lot after she told him she wanted a divorce. The document further recounts earlier alleged assaults, including Cecil punching Jerry in the face in November and breaking her truck window earlier in the year.
Most chillingly, Jerry Mains claimed in the filing that her husband had repeatedly threatened to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 her, their four children, and their family pets over a period of years. She submitted the emergency protective order at 10:28 a.m. on Christmas morning. Due to the holiday court closure from December 24 through December 28, a judge was not scheduled to review the petition until December 29—one day after she was murdered.
Police dispatch recordings from the afternoon of December 28 reveal the frantic calls for help. “Dad shot mom twice, leaving in a gray Toyota Tundra,” a caller reported. Officers arrived to find Jerry Mains shot on the driveway. She was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The police report contains harrowing accounts from the couple’s children. The 10-year-old daughter stated she was inside the home when her father arrived, removed a gun from a safe, and began arguing with her mother upon her return. The girl said she saw her father point the gun at her mother, called 911, heard shots, and then saw her mom lying in the driveway.
The 14-year-old daughter reported hearing her mother scream, coming out of her room to see her father with a gun, and then hearing a gunshot. The 19-year-old son told investigators he saw his father threaten Jerry with the gun inside the home, then follow her outside and shoot her in the driveway. The 17-year-old son reported that his older brother tried to intervene before the shooting.
According to police, after the shooting, Cecil Mains fled the scene in his truck, leaving his teenage son to attempt lifesaving measures on his mortally wounded mother. When arrested, Cecil Mains was allegedly in possession of his wife’s cell phone and credit cards. He did not speak to investigators and requested an attorney.
A review of Cecil Mains’s criminal history shows only prior traffic infractions, with no record of violent crime arrests. This absence of a documented history is a common and dangerous narrative in domestic violence homicides, experts say, where 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 often remains hidden behind closed doors until it turns fatal.
Legal analysts note the systemic failure highlighted by the delayed protective order. “The lack of government resources… shows a lapse in the justice system that possibly could have prevented this from happening,” said criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Anthony Oso in an interview with Law&Crime. He emphasized, however, that a piece of paper may not stop someone determined to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁, noting the period when a victim decides to leave is often the most dangerous.
The defense in this case faces significant challenges, given the multiple child eyewitnesses and the documented history of alleged threats. Prosecutors may introduce “nature of the relationship” evidence at trial, allowing prior instances of alleged violence to be presented to the jury to establish a pattern of behavior.
While Indiana is a death penalty state, Cecil Mains has been charged with murder, not capital murder. The murder statute in Indiana carries a potential sentence of 45 to 65 years, which effectively constitutes a life sentence. The decision on charges often hinges on specific aggravating factors, such as committing the murder during another felony like burglary.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support the Mains children, who are now without both parents. The funds are intended for living expenses, counseling, legal and funeral costs, and ensuring long-term stability. The community is reeling from the loss of Jerry Mains, remembered in social media posts as a devoted mother whose final Facebook update on December 26 showed her children celebrating a graduation.
Cecil Mains is scheduled to appear in court again on February 10. He remains in custody without bond as the investigation continues and the family’s children grapple with the trauma of witnessing their mother’s murder and the arrest of their father.