LITCHFIELD, MN – A Meeker County man has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison after admitting to killing his wife in their family home while their two children were present.
Bryan Demarais, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm in connection with the December 2023 death of Kayla Demarais, 29. He also entered guilty pleas to two charges of felony child endangerment, though those sentences will run at the same time as his murder sentence.
District Judge Stephanie L. Beckman handed down the sentence Tuesday, which calls for Demarais to spend just over three decades in a state prison. Under Minnesota sentencing guidelines, he is expected to serve about two-thirds of that time, or close to 19 years, behind bars. The remainder would be under supervised release, and he received credit for 579 days already spent in jail.
Authorities say the fatal shooting took place just after 10 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2023, at a home in the 22000 block of 713th Avenue in rural Meeker County. Emergency dispatchers received a call from Bryan Demarais himself, who admitted to shooting his wife, stating plainly to the dispatcher, “I would like to report a murder.”
Law enforcement arrived to find Demarais waiting outside the residence, where he surrendered without incident. Inside, they discovered Kayla Demarais dead from apparent gunshot wounds to the head. The couple’s two children, then ages 8 and 11, were unharmed during the violence but were at home when the shooting occurred.
Court documents reveal that Demarais and his wife had been arguing about several marital issues, including financial tensions and Kayla’s extramarital relationship, in the hours leading up to the incident. On the morning of the shooting, Demarais saw messages on his wife’s phone that confirmed the affair. According to the affidavit, he confronted his wife, accused her of infidelity, and later left for work after informing their children about the impending divorce.
Emotional turmoil continued for Demarais throughout the morning, authorities said. He told detectives he was agitated and refused to answer his wife’s calls while at work. According to his supervisor, Demarais appeared visibly upset and was permitted to leave work early that day.
Upon returning home, Demarais made a snack for his children, who were in another room playing video games. Shortly after, a heated argument erupted between the couple. The children told investigators they heard gunshots and saw their mother fall to the ground, while their father instructed them to close the bedroom door.
Demarais later told police he suffers from significant medical conditions requiring regular caregiver assistance, and that Kayla was his designated caregiver. During his interview with detectives, he described gaps in his memory following his confrontation with his wife.
The firearm used in the shooting, a .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun, was confirmed by authorities to have belonged to Kayla Demarais. Evidence and statements gathered in the investigation supported Demarais’s admissions in court.
Following his plea and sentencing, Demarais will begin his prison term, with the possibility for supervised release after serving the required portion of his sentence, as stipulated by Minnesota law. The couple’s children were not physically harmed during the tragedy and are now in the care of relatives.