Christine Jenneiahn’s home, targeted by a man who, attorneys say, preyed on her isolation and old age. (Photo: WRAL)
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The attorneys in Bingham County, Idaho released a statement last week about a shooting from earlier this year involving an 85-year-old woman..
The 85-year-old woman, identified as Christine Jenneiahn, was woken early in the morning on March 13th.
Rude Awakening
She was alone in her home in Rose, Idaho except for her son, who is disabled. She said she woke up to a man who was pointing a gun and a flashlight in her face.
He was described as wearing a military jacket and a ski mask. The report from the attorney’s office said the intruder placed Jenneiahn in handcuffs and took her to the living room.
Police reported that she was likely struck multiple times up to this point. Her blood was found by investigators on her bed and she claimed to have been hit on the head at one point.
The intruder, later identified as Derek Condon, cuffed Jenneiahn to a wooden chair and threatened her, asking for her valuables.
Jenneiahn protested, saying she had few valuable things.
Condon left Jenneiahn handcuffed in the living room and went downstairs.
“At some point he discovered that Christine’s son was also in the home and became angry with Christine for not telling him,” the attorney’s statement read.
“Now or Never”
Jenneiahn’s memories of the events were understandably fuzzy. Despite this, she remembers Condon continually threatening to kill her.
At some point, the 85-year-old woman had managed to grab her .357 Magnum revolver from under her bed.
When Condon kept threatening her death, she decided “now or never” and fired two shots, killing her attacker.
In those chaotic moments, Jenneiahn received multiple bullet wounds herself. According to reports, she was stuck in the living room for hours before her son woke up. She finally called 911, reporting the incident.
Attorneys Pipe In
About a month following the home intrusion and shooting, attorneys released the statement that officially cleared Christine Jenneiahn.
One of the attorneys, Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley, spoke with news outlets on her heroic act of self-defense.
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“She took the steps to defend herself because she didn’t know if anybody else would,” Jolley told Local News 8.
One question that many news sources were asking was “Did the victim know her attacker?”
Jolley explained that Jenneiahn and Condon had been familiar, although she knew his brother better.
Attorneys Call It “A Heroic Act of Self-defense”
Investigators say her home was chosen because Condon knew she would not be able to get help.
He intended to exploit the fact that she was old and alone, aiming to rob and potentially murder her.
According to a government census site, “In 2020, about 1 in 6 people in the United States were age 65 and over.”
This means that nearly 20% of our population is in a prime position to be targeted by men like Condon. How many of us have someone in our life that could have been in Jenneiahn’s shoes?
Christine Jenneiahn did something incredibly courageous in defending herself. But that courage started before she ever pulled the trigger.
In order to defend herself in this way, she had to have already obtained a gun and prepared herself to use it. She understood the concept that Jolley pointed out and emphasized. She couldn’t depend on anyone else, even the police, to defend her. So she did it herself.
Christine Jenneiahn was taken to a medical facility and has been recovering.
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Wife and I are 75 and 76. We are both in that position. Even though you can’t carry legally in NJ at least we can defend our home. We are both mentally, equipmentally and physically capable.
Old people in Nebraska are being taxed to death so we need the leaders to lock the criminal element & invaders back up as the turn them loose didn’t work out. We the old need some AK’s AR’s Uzi’s & whatever looks good. You need to through in a Corvette as mine is getting old & a little rough. We have been shown the people in charge hate us, hate the constitution & hate God. If we vote in new leaders they change or come up with some BS to rob or jail us. Why isn’t Hunter & his criminal family in jail?
As always criminals have more rights than victims.
Chalk one up for the good guys.
Why did it take them a month to clear her of no wrong doing, for self defense of her and her son? Then you have attorney’s and the communist left that want to disarm legal U.S. citizens, while one jackass lawyer says illegals should be able to carry guns to protect themselves. WTF? Granted he wasn’t illegal, but this is where we’re heading. If you aren’t a U.S. citizen, you don’t have the rights of OUR Constitution! Go back to the shit hole you came from, don’t bring your shit here and demand that we give everything we’ve earned, be given to you! Good job mom, another piece of crap off the streets!
My grandma is going to be 93 in a few weeks, and she still goes deer hunting. She’s a crack shot with crossbow, rifle, or muzzle-loader, and she’s no slouch with a pistol, either. Don’t mess with tough old country ladies – they will put the hurt on you.
This incident is written up better elsewhere but I’m glad it’s here.
Two takeaways, well three I guess.
1. Granny is a tough bird
2. 2 rounds of 357 kill 40 year old male and 5 rounds of 9mm (with one in gut and another in the chest) and 85 year old female lives. This will certainly cause some stir for the 9mm diehards
3. Own a gun, know how to use it.
Oh and she should get a dog.
i have to ask how did he get in the home? to many times people don’t lock up their homes or their cars / trucks. i am so glad she was able to defend herself and her son as he would have most likely killed him a well if he had killed her. the days of not locking your homes are a long time over even if you live in a town where everyone knows everyone else. this goes with locking your cars when your out driving, a locked car makes sure a car jacker can’t just open your door and jump in. my home and truck are always locked when i’m in them and when i’m not. don’t be an easy target.
THIS WOMAN IS A 100% COMPLETE BRAVEST PERSON I HAVE EVER READ ABOUT. SHE DESERVES A MEDAL FOR WHAT SHE DID AND I COMPLETELY HAVE JUST FOR HER. SHES A HERO FOR NOT ONLY SAVING HERSELF FROM BEING MURDERED BUT SAVED HER SONS LIFE TOO. I COMMEND YOU JENNIAHN FOR YOUR BRAVERY AND GOD BLESS YOU.
If this were in NY, Calif, Detroit or DC this woman would be in jail waiting to defend herself from the elected criminal.
I was a little confused as to the chain of events just reading the article. Fortunately, the article contains a link to the County Prosecutor’s statement, which explains everything in much more detail. I am also amazed the victim was able to survive her injuries considering her age and the length of time before she was able to get medical help. The will to live is an incredible thing!
This is great for her. It’s really lucky for her, that the attacker did not see her retrieve her. 357 from under her bed while he was accosting her and that she managed to conceal it before he had her hand cuffed. Seems like a series of unfortunate events for him.
The article doesn’t say she retrieved her gun before being handcuffed. That’s why this article seems fishy to me. If she was able to retrieve it, under the bed I might add, before being handcuffed, where did she put it? It was a .357 magnum, not an NAA .22 mini-pocket-rocket. I don’t about you, but if someone breaks into my house in the middle of the night and wakes me up with a gun pointing in my face, if I can get my Glock out of my mattress retention holster, which is right beside my head, I’m not waiting around to be handcuffed to a chair. I’m going to ‘spray & pray’ I hit the SOB, and will continue to fire until I know my target is neutralized or I need to change magazines. I’d like to know the whole story.
Based on the state of the nation, every individual is responsible for their personal safety. Only you can guarantee your own safety and that of your family arm yourself and always be aware of your surroundings
Something smells fishy about this story. Just saying …
Just saying I agree. Seems like she got extremely lucky or was extremely unlucky……
The write up I saw elsewhere and now can’t remember where, said she actually went and got the gun when he went downstairs. Apparently he cuffed her to a small-ish wooden chair that she carried to her bedroom and back. She hid the gun under a couch cushion and when she felt there was no choice she grabbed it and fired twice. The perp emptied his pistol hitting her 5 times and moved to the kitchen and assumed room temperature.
Shame she got shot in the process, but good for her to chose to not be a victim! i’m suspicious about the son’s role in this…….