KILLEEN, TX – A Fort Hood soldier’s wife has joined her husband in the Bell County Jail more than two years after their infant daughter was found dead in a Killeen home under what investigators described as “severe malnourishment.”
On September 11, 2022, Killeen police responded to a call from the Rainers’ residence, where they found 5-month-old Alexandra Faith Rainer unresponsive in her crib. Officers noted the baby was wearing a soiled diaper and clothing, and that the crib’s mattress was stained and appeared to have mold.
According to the arrest affidavit, the infant’s stomach was sunken, her ribcage was visible, and her skin was loose and sagging — classic signs of extreme malnutrition.
An autopsy later determined that Alexandra weighed just 6.17 pounds at the time of her death — less than she weighed at birth. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as starvation and neglect, and the manner of death as homicide.
Police records show that the child’s parents, Bryan Adam Rainer and Katherine Jo Rainer (also known as Katherine Locke), had not taken her to a doctor since a two-week checkup after birth. At that appointment, the baby had gained only a fraction of a pound since leaving the hospital.
Katherine told investigators she noticed the child losing weight and thought about taking her to the hospital but never did. Bryan admitted he was “hardly ever home” and that both parents had discussed the child’s condition but failed to seek medical care.
The child’s grandmother told police that she last saw the infant in May or June 2022 and had not received any photos since that time, despite previously getting regular updates.
The Rainers were each indicted in December 2023 by a Bell County grand jury on two counts of injury to a child under Texas Penal Code §22.04(e) — a first-degree felony carrying a potential sentence of 5 to 99 years or life in prison.
Both cases are being handled by Judge Paul L. LePak in the 264th Judicial District Court in Belton.
- Bryan Rainer – has remained incarcerated since November 2023, after being transferred from Fort Hood confinement. His bond was reduced from an initial $500,000 to $100,000 following a February 2024 hearing, but court records show he has not been released. His jury trial is scheduled for May 4, 2026.
- Katherine Rainer – was initially released on bond following her indictment but repeatedly violated court orders and has now joined her husband behind bars. Her trial is currently set for December 8, 2025.
The court records for both Bryan and Katherine Rainer show a long and complicated path through the Bell County justice system — marked by postponed hearings, attorney withdrawals, and repeated battles over bond conditions.
Bryan’s Long Pre-Trial Confinement
After being arrested in November 2023 while still associated with Fort Hood, Bryan Adam Rainer was transferred to the Bell County Jail, where he has remained ever since. His bond, originally set at $500,000, was reduced by Judge LePak to $100,000 following a hearing in February 2024. The court allowed the reduction only after imposing strict conditions, including a ban on any unsupervised contact with minors and restrictions on child care responsibilities.
Despite the reduction, Rainer has stayed in custody. Over the past year, his case has been delayed multiple times due to attorney changes, scheduling conflicts, and plea discussions that ended without resolution. His trial date — May 4, 2026 — comes more than two and a half years after his indictment.
Katherine’s Repeated Bond Violations
In contrast, Katherine Jo Rainer (Locke) initially managed to remain free on bond for much of 2024. At her first major court appearance in January 2024, her defense attorney successfully argued that her original $400,000 bond was excessive. Judge LePak reduced it to $80,000 and imposed several conditions, including travel restrictions, mandatory court permission for address changes, and confinement to her home except for court, work, medical appointments, church, or meetings with her attorney.
But over the next year, her compliance faltered.
- April 2024: The State filed its first motion to revoke or increase her bond, citing noncompliance. The hearing was delayed.
- October 2024: After a second motion from prosecutors, Judge LePak allowed her to remain free but required a GPS ankle monitor, with Bell County covering installation and two months of monitoring fees. She was warned that further violations would mean immediate jail time.
- January 2025: Katherine failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing. The judge issued an arrest warrant, revoked her bond, and increased it to $200,000. She was taken back into custody later that month.
- March 2025: A new hearing was held, and while the State again sought revocation, the court allowed her to remain out on bond after a stern warning to follow conditions “to the letter.”
Those warnings ultimately went unheeded.
In October 2025, prosecutors filed a third motion to revoke her bond. Multiple witnesses, including law enforcement and bond supervision personnel, testified that she had violated terms of her release. Judge LePak agreed, revoking her bond on October 24, 2025, and raising it to $400,000. Her GPS monitor was removed, and she was remanded to the Bell County Jail, where she remains in custody.
That ruling ended nearly two years of court leniency and partial freedom. As of late October 2025, both Katherine and Bryan Rainer are incarcerated, each awaiting separate trials for the starvation death of their daughter.
Both Rainers face prosecution under Texas Penal Code §22.04(e), which criminalizes intentionally or knowingly causing serious bodily or mental injury to a child, elderly, or disabled person. Because the case involves a death and alleged intentional neglect, the charge rises to a first-degree felony — the highest level short of capital murder.
If convicted, each faces up to life in prison for the death of their infant daughter.
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