85-Year-Old Woman Shoots Home Invader, Survives Wounded For 10-Hours in ‘Heroic Action’ Saving Disabled Son

Following their investigation, authorities in Bingham County, Idaho have nothing but the highest praise for an 85-year-old woman who shot a home intruder twice with her .357 Magnum revolver back in March. Local prosecutor Ryan Jolley called it “one of the most heroic actions saving herself and her disabled son.” He went on to credit “her grit, determination, and will to live” for her survival after she had been repeatedly shot.

Derek Condon, 39, broke into Christine Jenneiahn’s home thinking he would get a quick, easy score against an old woman. He thought wrong. In beating the old woman and handcuffing her to a chair, he merely steeled her resolve to resist.

While he busied himself looking for loot she promised him would be downstairs, she dragged the chair into her bedroom to access a .357 revolver from under her pillow.

She took then the chair back out to the living room and hid the gun next to her where he had put her, still cuffed to the chair. Later, when he returned, upset at not finding the loot, he reiterated his threats to kill her.

At that point, his fate was sealed. When he turned away momentarily, she grabbed her .357 and let it do the talking. She discharged the fearsome wheelgun twice, striking the home invader both times. Unfortunately he wasn’t totally out of commission and he shot her multiple times with a 9mm. Then he stumbled into the kitchen where he collapsed and died.

Amazingly, the 85-year-old woman lay wounded for ten hours, still cuffed to the chair, until her son found her the next morning.

NBC News reported it like this . . .

An 85-year-old Idaho woman shot and killed an intruder in her home in what a county prosecutor called “one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have ever heard of.”

Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley said in a case review that the woman, identified Wednesday as Christine Jenneiahn, acted in self-defense and ruled it was a case of justifiable homicide.

“That Christine survived this encounter is truly incredible,” Jolley wrote. “Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night.”

Yes, her story was exceptional and the prosecutor wrote it out in exquisite detail and the local Bingham County Sheriff’s Office proudly posted it on their Facebook page.

More from NBC . . .

“She ultimately made the decision that it was ‘now or never’ and drew her concealed 357 magnum and engaged Condon striking him with both her shots,” the review says.

Condon returned fire, striking Jenneiahn multiple times in her abdomen, a leg, an arm and her chest with a 9 mm pistol, according to the review. Condon went to the kitchen, where he died from the gunshot wounds.

Jenneiahn, still handcuffed, fell over and remained on the floor for about 10 hours until her son came upstairs in the late morning and gave her a phone to call 911. Deputies responded at about 12:17 p.m., the review says.

EastIdahoNews.com reported that Jenneiahn was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. She has been released and is recovering, it reported.

Subsequent investigation turned up a broken window in the back of the residence and a screwdriver near where Condon broke in, according to the review. On his body, Condon had a lock pick set, his car key, a handcuff key and a bag filled with items stolen from the home.

Kudos to the woman. Thankfully she’s recovering physically, and hopefully mentally as well.  No doubt her friends, family and neighbors, along with the local sheriff’s office will likely support her as she recovers.

As for Mr. Condon, he died doing what he loved and more significantly, he learned not to try that in a small town.