Husband Accused of Killing Wife in Front of Home as Kids Called 911: 'I Can't Live Without Her' By Christine Pelisek

An Indiana man is accused of fatally shooting his wife in front of their four children.

Cecil Mains, 47, of Indianapolis, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of his 44-year-old wife Jerri Mains. 

Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were called to the 8100 block of Meadow Bend Lane on a report of a person shot on Sunday, Dec. 28, just before 2:30 p.m., according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

Dispatchers received multiple calls from their children during the shooting, per the affidavit.

The couple’s 19-year-old son allegedly told a dispatcher, “My dad just shot my mom twice … He shot her in the house and in the driveway.”

Another child could be heard on the call saying, “My dad is shooting my mom,” “I’m hiding,” “Please help me,” “My mom had a restraining order against him” and “I can’t live without her,” the affidavit states.

When officers arrived, they discovered Jerri outside in the driveway of their home, according to the affidavit. She had been shot twice in the chest.

Jerri was transported to the hospital in critical condition where she was later pronounced dead.

Mains fled the scene in his gray Toyota Tundra pickup truck but was found driving nearby. Officers conducted a traffic stop, and took him into custody without incident, per the affidavit.

According to the Indy Star, Jerri filed a protective order against her husband on Christmas Day — three days before she was killed.

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The filing alleged he threatened to kill both her and himself while they were in a Justice Center parking lot on Dec. 23 because she planned to file for divorce.

The next day, on Christmas Eve, she alleged she sustained bruising and lacerations on her arm after he threw kitchen tongs at her, per the Indy Star.

The outlet reported, citing the filing, that he later threatened to kill himself in front of her and their children. He also allegedly punched her in the face in November.

According to a GoFundMe page, the couple’s children are 19, 17, 14 and 10 years old — and are “now facing an unimaginable future without their mom.”

“These kids have already endured more than any child should,” the fundraiser reads. “Our hope is that they can focus on healing, staying together, and rebuilding their lives with stability and support.”