Minnesota – A Minnesota man was sentenced to thirty years and seven months in prison for the shooting death of his spouse, KayIa. The sentence was handed down by District Judge Becknan after the 35-year-old defendant, B. Demaris, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of felony chiId endangerment. The charges stemmed from an incident where the defendant fataIIy shot his partner while their two children were inside the Minnesota home.
The investigation process began in Dec. 2023 after the defendant called 911 and told the dispatcher that he had just shot his spouse. He also requested that their children be removed from the house through a bedroom window to avoid witnessing the aftermath. Upon arrival, deputies found the victim deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken into custody without incident.
In interviews with investigators, the defendant explained that he and his spouse had argued the previous night over financiaI issues and her alleged infideIity. The following morning, he discovered text messages on her phone confirming the affair, which escalated the argument. The defendant stated that he then shot his spouse in the head several times with a firearm. He claimed to have no memory of the events following the argument.
The defendant told Minnesota authorities that he has several medical conditions that qualify him for caregiver services and that the victim was assigned as his caregiver. After receiving his Miranda warning, the defendant agreed to speak with detectives. During questioning, he said he and the victim had an argument the night before about marital issues, including money problems and the victim’s affair with another man.
The defendant said that the next morning, he checked the victim’s phone and discovered messages between her and the man. The affidavit described how the defendant and the victim were in bed when her phone received a notification. The defendant saw the messages from the other man, who was not identified, to the victim and confronted her, accusing her of cheating and not trying to fix their marriage.
Before leaving for work, he told their two children that their parents were getting a divorce because of the victim’s affair. While he was on his way to work, the victim tried calling him, but the defendant said he became angrier and ignored her calls. He stated he had no memory of what happened after that.
The children told police that their father returned home early while they were pIaying video games. He made them a snack, and they overheard a loud fight between their parents. The children then heard gunshots, followed by their mother’s scream, and saw her collapse in the living room. The defendant instructed the children to close the door to their bedroom
They reported seeing their mother fall after the first shot and were instructed by their parent to stay in their room and not to call 911. The children were later removed from the home by authorities.
The defendant entered a Norgard plea, acknowledging that he did not remember the events but accepted that the evidence was sufficient for a conviction. In addition to the murder charge, he was sentenced to concurrent terms for child endangerment. He received credit for 579 days already served.