85-year-old woman was handcuffed to chair during armed home invasion. She killed the robber and survived
The scene where an 85-year-old woman shot and killed a man after he broke into her home in Bingham County, Idaho, on March 13. (Bingham County Sheriff’s Office)
Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ROSE, Idaho — An 85-year-old woman who shot and killed a man after he broke into her home in the middle of the night was threatened, hit, handcuffed to a chair and shot multiple times, according to newly released information.
The home invasion happened on March 13, and deputies responded just after noon. But the home invasion began at 2 a.m.
The Bingham County Prosecutor’s Office identified the 85-year-old woman on Wednesday as Christine Jenneiahn. The suspect was identified in March as Derek Ephriam Condon, 39, of Blackfoot.
Officials told EastIdahoNews.com the two were known to each other and it was not believed to be a random incident.
According to an incident review from Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley, Condon’s death has been ruled as “justifiable homicide” based on information contained in reports, video, photographs, search warrants and witness statements.
She was sleeping
Early that morning, Jenneiahn was sleeping in her Bingham County home off 134 West and 600 North, according to the review. The only other person in her home was her adult disabled son, David Jenneiahn, who was in his room downstairs.
EastIdahoNews.com has seen the home and it is out of the way from neighbors.
Christine Jenneiahn told investigators that she was woken up by an unknown man. He was later identified as Condon.
Condon was dressed in a military jacket and a black ski mask. He was pointing a gun and flashlight at Jenneiahn.
She was handcuffed and hit
The review said Condon placed Jenneiahn in handcuffs and took her into her living room.
“Subsequent investigation indicates a strong likelihood that Condon struck Jenneiahn in the head as she lay in her bed,” it said. There was blood on the pillow and floor in her room where she had been sleeping.
Jenneiahn said he had hit her in the head at some point during the incident, but she was unsure of exactly when it happened.
After taking her at gunpoint into the living room, Condon handcuffed her to a wooden chair. He asked her where the valuables were kept and put his pistol against her head after she told him she didn’t have much, the review said.
He threatened to kill her
She told Condon that there were two safes downstairs in the home. He left Jenneiahn handcuffed in the living room. He went downstairs multiple times and rummaged through several rooms.
Eventually, Condon discovered that Jenneiahn’s son was in the home and got angry at her for not telling him. He made multiple threats and told her that he “would kill her,” the review revealed.
She grabbed her gun while handcuffed
When Condon went downstairs again at some point, Jenneiahn dragged the chair she was handcuffed to into her bedroom and got her .357 Magnum revolver, which was under her pillow.
She then went back into the living room and “hid the revolver” between the armrest and cushion of a couch next to where she was sitting while she waited to see what Condon did next, the review detailed.
“Her memory of exactly what happened next remains somewhat unclear,” according to the review.
She told investigators that at some point, Condon came back into the living room and threatened to kill her as he continued to burglarize her home.
‘Now or never’
Jenneiahn ultimately made the decision that it was “now or never” and drew her gun and “engaged Condon, striking him with both her shots.” Officials told EastIdahoNews.com she shot him in the area of his chest.
Condon returned fire and emptied a 9 mm pistol, hitting her multiple times in her abdomen, leg, arm and chest.
Condon went into the kitchen, where he died from his wounds.
Jenneiahn fell to the floor, still handcuffed, in the living room, where she remained for about 10 hours, the review said.
She was ultimately able to call 911 after her son came upstairs later in the morning and gave her a phone. Deputies responded immediately at 12:17 p.m. and provided lifesaving measures.
She was transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.
A broken window and screwdriver
Investigation revealed there was a broken window in the back of her home and a screwdriver was found next to the door where Condon came inside.
Additionally, Condon’s car was found near Jenneiahn’s home with one set of footprints leading from the car in that direction, the review said. When investigators searched Condon’s body, they found he had a lock pick set, his car key, a handcuff key and a bag that had items he had stolen.
What the prosecutor found
The law in Idaho regarding self-defense is clear, Jolley wrote — “No person in this state shall be placed in legal jeopardy of any kind whatsoever for protecting himself …”
He found that an individual acting in self-defense is not required to “wait until he or she ascertains whether the danger is apparent or real.”
“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,” Jolley wrote. “Any reasonable person would believe it necessary to defend themselves or their disabled child under such circumstances.”
He said the fact that Jenneiahn survived the encounter is “truly incredible.” Jolley said that her grit, determination and will to live appear to be what saved her that night.
“Had Derek Condon survived, I would be charging him with multiple felonies, including attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary, aggravated battery and grand theft,” Jolley added in his review.
The Bingham County Sheriff’s Office released in a post on social media, “We wish to make it clear that our intention is not to defame the name of the suspect involved or make a tragedy for his family worse. We are simply releasing the facts of the case and explaining that there was a victim involved that displayed heroism, fortitude, and a will to live that we’d be remiss not to share.”
The sheriff’s office said its staff feels fortunate to know Jenneiahn and looks forward to finding a way to honor her at a later date.
EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to her but has not been able to get in contact with her. We have confirmed that Jenneiahn has been released from the hospital and is recovering.
Most recent Idaho stories
- After Blue Moon roof collapse, The Suites of Lava Hot Springs reopens
- One piece at a time, Idaho man seeks public help to make his Lego creation a reality
- Idaho jury convicts security company owner in split verdict over tumultuous town hall
‘One of the most heroic acts’: Prosecutor lauds ‘truly incredible’ 85-year-old mother who shot and killed robber with .357 magnum, while handcuffed, in self-defense
Colin KalmbacherApr 11th, 2024, 4:16 pm
18 comments Share
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/share_button.php?app_id=&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df86e9e418360cc0f4%26domain%3Dlawandcrime.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Flawandcrime.com%252Ff176c8d58e3be2ed0%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=0&href=https%3A%2F%2Flawandcrime.com%2Fcrime%2Fone-of-the-most-heroic-acts-prosecutor-lauds-truly-incredible-85-year-old-mother-who-shot-and-killed-robber-with-357-magnum-while-handcuffed-in-self-defense%2F&layout=button&locale=en_US&sdk=joey
Derek Condon appears inset against an image of the home in Blackfoot, Id. where he died while committing a violent robbery on March 13, 2024 (Bingham County Sheriff’s Office; Google Maps).
An octogenarian Idaho mother shot and killed a man in a harrowing, life-or-death situation after he broke into her home, attacked her, and threatened to kill her last month, according to law enforcement.
Christine Jenneiahn, 85, will not be prosecuted for the justifiable homicide of Derek Condon, 39, a case review by Bingham County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Jolley published this week explains.
“This case presents an easy analysis of self-defense and justifiable homicide,” the document reads. “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.”
Related Coverage:
- Man helped his mother kill his 87-year-old grandfather and then insisted victim was ‘not grandpa’: Authorities
- ‘She tried to kill me for all my life, so I did it today’: Man beat former mother-in-law with baseball bat for 92 seconds because he blamed her for his divorce, police say
- ‘I just didn’t do anything’: Florida woman gave birth through leg hole of boxer shorts she kept on and then ‘just sat there’ while her baby boy asphyxiated
The incident occurred during the early morning hours on March 13, the prosecutor said. At the time, the only other person “lawfully in her home” was Jenneiahn’s disabled son, according to the document. An initial press release from the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office noted the crime occurred in Blackfoot — a medium-sized city and the county seat.
At around 2 a.m., Condon startled the woman awake. She found herself facing a man “dressed in a military jacket, black ski mask, and pointing a gun and flashlight at her,” the prosecutor determined.
“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,” Jolley added in the case review. “She also reported he had hit her in the head at some point during the incident but was unsure of exactly when that took place.”
Jenneiahn quickly found herself on the losing side of the ordeal as the man took her into her own living room at gunpoint, handcuffed her to a wooden chair, and demanded to know the location of her valuables, the prosecutor said. The woman said she did not have much to steal — prompting Condon to angrily lodge the gun against her head.
“After telling Condon that there were two safes downstairs in the home he left her handcuffed in the living room and went downstairs multiple times and rummaged through several rooms in the house,” the document goes on.
At some point during the would-be reaving, the intruder is said to have discovered the presence of Jenneiahn’s son — which apparently incensed him. Condon went on to scold the woman for not mentioning the disabled man — and repeatedly threatened to kill her.
As the robbery went on, Jenneiahn was eventually able to drag herself — while still handcuffed to the chair — to the side of her bed and reach underneath a pillow. There, she kept a .357 magnum. Then, she dragged herself back to where the assailant had left her and hid her gun in between an armrest and couch cushion to wait out the terror.
The woman told law enforcement her memory of the pivotal moments became hazy but after receiving an additional threat on her life, she considered it a “now or never” moment and then reached for the gun, drawing it from its hiding place, and striking Condon with two shots that would ultimately kill him, Jolley relayed.
The home invader, however, emptied an entire magazine in response, the prosecutor said. Jenneiahn was struck in her abdomen, leg, arm, and chest. And then she fell to the floor — where she stayed for some 10 hours before her son later brought her a phone so she could call 911. The woman miraculously survived her multiple wounds.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived just after 12:15 p.m. and helped save her life.
The prosecutor’s investigation goes through Gem State law on self-defense at length — and ultimately concluded that Jenneiahn was well within her rights to shoot and kill Condon.
“He had told Christine that he would kill her multiple times,” Jolley’s statement goes on. “He had broken into her home in the middle of the night, handcuffed her to a chair, and struck her with his firearm. Her disabled son was downstairs in his room. She is also 85 years old. Any reasonable person would believe it necessary to defend themselves or their disabled child under such circumstances.”
Had the man who broke in through a window using a screwdriver survived the shooting, he would be facing multiple felonies including attempted murder and kidnapping, the prosecutor said.
Join the discussion18comments
“That Christine survived this encounter is truly incredible,” Jolley said. “Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night. Absent a clear attempt by Condon to retreat from the residence or surrender, which based on the evidence clearly did not occur, Christine was justified in taking any and all means necessary to defend herself and her son that night.”
