An 85-year-old Idaho woman is being commended for shooting intruder who broken into her home, tied her up and threatened to kill her.
The incident happened at Christine Jenneiahn’s home in Bingham County on March 13 around 2 a.m. She was sleeping when an armed man sporting a ski mask, Derek Condon, woke her up in the middle of the night, according to an incident review from local prosecutors.
“Subsequent investigation indicates a strong likelihood that Condon struck Christine in the head as she lay in her bed, as there was blood on the pillow and floor in her room where she had been sleeping,” the review said, “She also reported he had hit her in the head at some point during the incident but was unsure of what exactly took place.”
At gunpoint, officials said Condon, 39, forced Jenneiahn into her living room and handcuffed her to a wooden chair. The suspect demanded that she tell him where her valuables were located, but she initially didn’t. He put the gun against her head, and she informed him that there were two safes downstairs.
During this time, Jenneiahn dragged the chair into the bedroom, where she obtained her .357 magnum revolver hidden under her pillow, the review noted. When she returned back to the living room, she slid it into the armrest of her couch and waited for the right time to make a move.
While ransacking the home, Condon discovered that her son David, who is disabled, was also in the house. Per the review, he threatened Jenneiahn for not telling him, saying that he would execute her.
“She stated at some point Condon came back into the living room and threatened to kill her as he continued to rummage through her home and burglarize it,” officials wrote. “She ultimately made the decision it was ‘now or never’ and drew her concealed 357 magnum and engaged Condon, striking him with both her shots.”
He returned fire and hit her in different parts of her body, including the abdomen and chest. Condon succumbed to his injuries in Jenneiahn’s kitchen. Still handcuffed and with multiple gunshot wounds, she was on the floor for hours until her son brought her the phone to call the police. When first responders arrived, they performed lifesaving efforts.
Investigators found a broken window and a screwdriver next to one of the doors in her home. Condon also had stolen valuables, a handcuff key, and a lock pick set in his possession. Police found his car parked near the residence.
“This case presents an easy analysis of self-defense and justifiable homicide. It also presents one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have heard of. Condon was still in the act of his violent home invasion when Christine chose to engage him with deadly force,” Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Jolley said in a statement.
Jolley continued, “Any reasonable person would believe it necessary to defend themselves on their disabled child under such circumstances. That Christine survived this encounter is truly incredible. Her grit, determination and will to live appear to be what saved her that night.”
