DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for fatally stabbing a 20-year-old woman in 2023.

On November 14, 2023, the Des Moines Police Department was called to a hotel in the 400 block of East 30th Street for a report of a stabbing. When first responders arrived at the scene, they discovered a 20-year-old woman in a hotel room suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim, identified as Alyssa Anne Maher, was transported to a hospital but later died.

Shortly after, police arrested and charged Brantlee Austin Gage Rainey, 25, in connection to Maher’s death. According to the Polk County Attorney’s Office, Rainey was using methamphetamine when he attacked Maher in the hotel room.

Rainey entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder in February, a guilty plea where a defendant recognizes that prosecutorial evidence in the case would likely result in a guilty verdict but continues to maintain innocence. On Thursday, Rainey was sentenced to up to 50 years in prison.

Maher’s mother and sister provided victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing.

“Alyssa was a sweet loving child with a good heart,” her mother said. “She never knew a stranger. She was always wanting to help others, often putting others before herself, to her detriment most times, sadly. All she ever wanted to have friends be loved.”

“Alyssa was robbed of the opportunity to grow up, to make something of herself. She was robbed of so much potential … What happened to Alyssa is not her story. The impact she made on the world is her story. And I will use her story to fight for girls like Alyssa,” her sister said.

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