Jerry Mains filed for a protective order against her husband on Christmas Day.
Three days later, the 44-year-old wife and mother of four was found shot to death. That protective order filing will go into court without a judge ruling a day after he was killed.
Her husband, 46-year-old Cecil Raymond Mains, remains behind bars in the Marion County Jail facing preliminary charges of murder. Their children, aged 19, 17, 14 and 10, are now grieving in the care of family members. The family is trying to raise money through a GoFundMe account to support the children.
Before she was found shot in the driveway of her home, she shared personal stories in mom groups on Facebook, with many supporting and praying for her.
Petitions filed online describe what some say she experienced at the hands of her husband, and court documents allegedly describe what happened the day she was shot and killed.
Family members reached by IndyStar requested privacy, but close friends told IndyStar she was a very loving, hard-working mother.
At one point, she had in-home daycare, and for a long time, she was part of her homeowners association.
They also shared that she was in a very controlling relationship.
Jerry Mae Mains, 44, filed a protection order Christmas Day
Jerry Mae Mains, 44, filed for a protective order on Christmas Day before she was fatally shot on Dec. 28, 2025, at her home on the southeast side of Indianapolis.
At 10:28 a.m., Dec. 25, Jerry Maines filed for an order of protection stating that he was a victim of domestic or family violence. The petition said her husband threw kitchen tongs that hit her on the arm, causing cuts and bruises on Christmas Eve.
A day earlier, the petition says, she was in the Justice Center parking lot when her husband threatened to kill her and himself because she wanted to file for divorce. She wrote that she had a recording of the conversation. Later, he threatened to commit suicide in front of her and their children, the petition said.
On Dec. 10, during an argument, her husband punched her computer and threw hot chocolate all over her, according to the petition.
In November, she said he punched her in the face, bleeding her nose and bruising her face. Earlier in the year, she wrote in the petition that he punched the driver’s side window of her truck and broke the glass. She said he had said he had killed her, their children and pets several times over the past few years and hoped the protective order would be an important step in ending the dangerous situation.
Once the petition is filed, a clerk receives it, assigns a case number, and sends it to the judge or court. If it was filed on a non-holiday, the judge could have heard it the next day, but the offices were closed from December 24 to 28.
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At 2:17 p.m., Dec. 28, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called to a home in the 8100 block of Meadow Bend Lane on the southeast side of Mains about a disturbance with a weapon. Court documents say the 911 caller said their father had a gun and shot their mother before fleeing in his gray Toyota Tundra.
Officers found the mother shot to death on the ground in the driveway of her home. He was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition before being pronounced dead.
Officer Daniel Beasley saw Cecil Maines’ car heading north on Five Points Road near Edgewood Avenue. Beasley initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of Thompson Road and Lakesedge Boulevard, about 4.5 miles from his home, and arrested Mains.
According to probable cause for Mains’ arrest, the couple’s 19-year-old son told police he saw his father near the front door of the home on Dec. 28 waving a gun at his mother. He followed his parents outside after seeing his father shoot his mother in the driveway.
He called 911 and rendered aid to his mother before first responders arrived on the scene.
Their other children, ages 10, 14, and 16, all said they heard gunshots or that their father had come home early to retrieve his gun and was arguing with their mother, according to court records. Their 10- and 14-year-old daughters called 911, while their 16-year-old son stayed in his room until authorities arrived on the scene after seeing his older brother try to intervene.
While being read his Miranda rights, the father requested an attorney.
His next hearing is scheduled for December 30.
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Woman files protective order on Christmas the day before she died
