Charges: Bryan Demarais shot and killed wife while their 2 children were home
MEEKER COUNTY, Minn. — A central Minnesota man is charged with killing his wife while their children were at home.
According to the Meeker County Attorney's Office, 35-year-old Bryan William Demarais of Dassel faces one felony count of second-degree murder and two felony counts of child endangerment in connection to the Thursday incident.
Deputies were called to the 22000 block of 713th Avenue in Dassel Township in the morning after a man reported he had shot his wife. Upon arrival, deputies found a woman dead in the home and took a man into custody.
Two children who were in the home at the time, ages 11 and 8, were not hurt.
CRIMINAL COMPLAINT DETAILS
According to the criminal complaint, Demarais called the county sheriff's office at around 10:13 a.m. He told the dispatcher that he "would like to report a murder" and said he just shot his wife.
Demarais allegedly told the dispatcher that he shot his wife several times with a .22 that was sitting on top of a washing machine. He requested the children be taken out of the house through a window of the bedroom they were in. He added that the children heard the gunshots and that he did not want them to see anything.
When deputies arrived, Demarais walked out of the residence and surrendered himself to authorities, who also took the children out of the home through the bedroom window. Demarais said in a statement later that he suffers from anxiety, a sleep disorder and other medical issues that can cause short-term memory loss. He added that he qualifies for "caregiver" services and he designated his wife to be his caregiver, the complaint said.
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Demarais said he and the victim had been fighting about financial problems and ongoing marital issues before the shooting.
The children told authorities the bedroom door was open when the shooting happened. They said they saw their mother fall to the ground, but could not see Demarais, who yelled at them to close the door.
In a search of the residence, multiple .22 caliber firearm casings were located in the living room where the victim's body was discovered. A "fresh bullet entry hole" was also discovered entering one of the children's rooms through the wall, the complaint said.
The medical examiner determined the victim died of multiple gunshot wounds and ruled the manner of death as a homicide.
Demarais is in custody and had his first appearance in court on Tuesday morning. If convicted, Demarais faces up to 40 years in prison on the murder charge.
Local Domestic Violence Resources
Women's Advocates
- wadvocates.org
- Crisis Line: (651) 227-8284
St. Paul & Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
- stpaulintervention.org
- Crisis Line: (651) 645-2824
Minnesota Day One
- dayoneservices.org
- Crisis Line: 1-866-223-1111
Esperanza United
- esperanzaunited.org
- Bilingual crisis line: (651) 772-1611.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.