In the quiet early hours of March 13, 2024, in Bingham County, Idaho, an 85-year-old woman, Christine Jenneiahn, turned a terrifying home invasion into a remarkable story of courage, self-defense and survival. The Bingham County Prosecutor, Ryan W. Jolley, released a comprehensive review of the incident that has since captivated the local community and beyond.

The ordeal began around 2:00 am when Jenneiahn was abruptly awakened by an intruder, later identified as Derek Condon, who had broken into her home. Dressed in a military jacket and black ski mask, Condon not only threatened Jenneiahn with a gun and flashlight but also handcuffed her and struck her in the head, as indicated by the blood found on her pillow and floor.

After being drug from her bed into the living room and handcuffed to a wooden chair , the elderly woman was interrogated by Condon about the whereabouts of valuables. She told him about two safes downstairs in the house but noted she didn’t have many “valuables.” Condon went downstairs and began rummaging around the house. He discovered her disabled son was there and grew angry, again threatening her for not telling him.

While he was downstairs, Jenneiahn, despite being 85 years old and handcuffed to her chair, seized the opportunity and dragged the chair to her bedroom where she retrieved her .357 Magnum hidden under her pillow. She then made her way back to the living room where she strategically hid the weapon within reach.

When Condon returned, Jenneiahn, decided it was “now or never” and shot Condon with precision, hitting him with both shots. Despite the fatal wounds, Condon managed to fire back, wounding Jenneiahn multiple times. The assailant stumbled into the kitchen where he succumbed to his injuries, while Jenneiahn, still handcuffed, lay injured for approximately 10 hours until her son was able to get her a phone so she could call for help.

The investigation that followed pieced together the harrowing events of that night, including the discovery of Condon’s car and evidence of his forced entry into Jenneiahn’s home. Prosecutor Jolley’s statement underscored the clear justification of Jenneiahn’s actions under Idaho law, praising her heroic self-preservation and the necessity of her defense in the face of a direct and lethal threat to her and her son.

Jenneiahn’s story is not just a testament to her bravery but also a profound example of the law’s recognition of the right to defend oneself. The Bingham County prosecutor’s analysis concluded that had Condon survived, he would have faced multiple serious charges. Instead, the focus remains on Christine Jenneiahn’s incredible survival and the justifiable actions she took during those terrifying moments in her own home.

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86 COMMENTS

  2. I hope that before she shot him she apologized for not telling him about her disabled son and apologized again for not telling him about the .357 magnum before she put him down.

  3. She deserve a medal, 10% of the tax$$$ saved that would have been spent on a trial and prison for the criminal, as well as having all her medical expenses paid by the state. She did her community, the state of Utah and the nation a great service for which she paid a heavy price. She deserve all of our thanks.

    • She does deserve a medal. Of what description I would not know. Perhaps a
      Medal of Valaditivety?
      I’d forget that saved the taxpayer money bullshit because it sorta makes a reader think a someone only cares about the bottom dime and not an old lady who got suckered and then kicked ass.
      Taxpayer money, medical expenses, court cost.
      Mercy.
      President Biden is The Greatest President America Has or Ever Will Have
      President Biden is The Greatest President America Has or Ever Will Have
      President Biden is The Greatest President America Has or Ever Will Have.
      Forever and ever Amen.

        • Tired, glad at least one person got the inference. Anyone with a .357, I don’t how old you are, is booming.

        • Tagged him twice with .357 and he shot HER several times? She needs counseling on ammo selection, sounds like target rounds.

        • No, she is part of the “silent generation”. They are the group between “greatest” and “boomer” that everyone forgets about (like us GenXers between boomer and millennial).

          The “greatest generation” were the WW2 vets, and those that remain are over 95 years old now (generally over 100).

  5. Was Condon a member of dacian, miner, and jsled’s antifa troop collecting “community service charges” to redistribute to the needy?

    He certainly looks like a member of the antifa’s NAMBLA section.

      • “And had more balls than any of those guys you mentioned“

        I really don’t understand why you are constantly posting comments about my genitalia. Really creepy.

        I never really figured you were a little light in your loafers, not that there’s anything wrong with that…

        • You really are that stupid, aren’t you? No wonder our education system is failing. People like you at the lecterns.

        • Jaaybird, must I point out it was you who was discussing the size of my “balls”.

          I really wish you would spend your time thinking about other things.

        • everything you post is a time waste. would the terms chutzpa, verve or vigilance have avoided this conversation? either way jdub is correct since you behave like a femwee.

        • miner, I can’t believe I’m wasting time replying to an obviously mentally damaged troll such as yourself. But here goes. I think everyone on planet earth except you knows that referring to ‘balls’ in this manner is talking of courage, not anatomy.

          Do you not see how you’re just proving your own trollness?

        • Hm. I was wondering about that, frankly. Thanks for confirming that your genitalia are creepy.

    • That would be Condon’s reparation….

      They used to build tough women in Idaho. Not so much anymore. Good for Granny from the tail end of the Greatest Generation.

      • “They used to build tough women in Idaho. Not so much anymore.”

        Nah, that’s the thing about real heroes, they don’t know until it happens that they are heroes.

        One day, they just step up and take care of business. Why it’s best to treat people you don’t know with respect…

      • I’ve got several models and calibers of revolvers from both Ruger and Smith and Wesson. I prefer them to my semi-automatics, especially for home defense. This story proves their worth.

        • Me three. I do have a Gluck 19 just in case the apocalypse kicks off. But I mostly shoot and use wheel guns.

          They’re just more fun for me.

        • “Me three. I do have a Gluck 19 just in case the apocalypse kicks off.”

          A Gluck and lots of Blammo is all a marsupial needs…

      • Now I am ashamed of only having my J-frame .38sp in my pocket. I should be packing my Security Six in .357mag.

    • Eventually anyway.
      Actually, I’d buy a .357 if the State of California would approve the models I am interested in. Meanwhile, I will “just have to make due” with .45 Colt hollow points in my six shooter.

      • Mark N.,

        There is no denying that .45 Colt hollowpoints are serious business.

        I would even go so far to say that .45 Colt hollowpoints may be every bit as likely to rapidly incapacitate a home invader as .357 Magnum with 125 grain hollowpoints. Furthermore, that .357 Magnum indoors is going to be really LOUD and .45 Colt may generate less noise without any significant reduction in “stopping power”.

    • jwm, are you saying Idaho isn’t diverse enough? 😛

      Most of the a-holes that commit crimes in Idaho are recently from Oregon or Washington.

  8. Hold on one cotton-pickin’ minute: self-proclaimed “experts” tell us that we need 1,000 hours of training and marksmanship practice before we can responsibly, accurately, and effectively deploy a firearm for self-defense. That leaves us with three options:

    1) That lady has the requisite 1,000 hours of training and this story is true.
    — or —
    2) That lady doesn’t have the requisite training and this story is bogus.
    — or —
    3) That lady doesn’t have the requisite training and the “experts” are full of bologna.

    If I were the betting type, I would place my money on number 3 above.

    • And to further emphasis the significance of this event and my above comment, the 85 year-old lady was handcuffed to a chair (according to the story) which means she almost certainly had to shoot that .357 Magnum revolver with one hand–an abject impossibility according to the “experts”.

      • Don’t forget, you need twelve magazines with 17 rounds each for decent home defense! The .357 is a Fudd gun! 9mm is just as good! It’s shot placement that counts the most! Muh modern powders and bullets and all.

        • “His crew” probably would have wet their pants and ran off when Condon slumped on the kitchen floor and started bleeding out.

      • An 85 year old. Having a semi auto, with a slide that requires racking. With the support hand. My not be a option.

        How hand strong is an 85-year-old man or woman???

        I think a revolver is an outstanding choice for self-defense. They require only one hand to operate in home defense.

        • Chris T in KY,

          Agree: a revolver can be an effective home defense firearm.

          And in many cases a home defender cannot realistically deploy semi-auto handguns or even long guns for home defense.*
          In those cases a revolver is the only practical remaining option.

          * Semi-auto handguns can be too complicated to operate and can even jam (a side effect of insufficient grip strength–a.k.a. “limp wristing”). And long guns can literally be too heavy for some people to support and fire accurately.

        • This is an 85yo woman that can handle the recoil of a .357 magnum.

          I don’t think a slide would be a problem.

        • “I think a revolver is an outstanding choice for self-defense. They require only one hand to operate in home defense.”

          But a nine pound trigger pull.

  10. I can’t help but think of that old lady in the Tweety and Sylvester toons. This is something she would have to that darn puddy tat! You go granny!

  11. Never forget the McDonald case out of Chicago, was about the right to have a gun inside your own home.

    The gun grabbers are very comfortable with you being raped and murdered. You being Butchered, unnable to have a gun inside your own home to defend yourself.

  13. Is no one going to mention the fact that Condon was previously mean to Christine’s disabled son? Or granny’s penchant for revenge?

    • So, she handcuffed her self to the chair and lured him in and left a ‘drop’ gun to make him look guilty?

      Or the kind of fuck that is mean to the disabled may also be a criminal at heart?

      • She lured him there, shot him, and set the scene. She was the only witness. Don’t mess with granny’s disabled son.

  14. I can’t believe people try this stuff in places like Idaho. Just too many people with guns. Better to hitchhike to manhattan.

  15. The usual suspects. I don’t trust anyone with a lomg beard. Beards like this are usually worn by Communists, religious fanatics, and child molesters.

    • …or loggers, contractors, special-ops, truckers and anyone in Idaho that has retired from one of these honorable professions.. Of course I am sure the length of the beard that crosses the line is subjective.

      • I had a beard once however my aspirations of finding the flea that died, went to heaven, and continued to wind up in Willy Nelson’s beard never came to fruition.
        Dollywood.

      • ”…or loggers, contractors, special-ops, truckers and anyone in Idaho”

        Okay, I forgot to add closet homosexuals to my original list.

  16. My mom turned 90 this month.
    She had a .357 but macular degeneration put a stop to her shutzing, she gave the revolving to my nephew, I said ” Mom, how come you didn’t give it to me?”
    Oh you’ve got enough gunms already.
    Not.
    Revolvings are cool, they don’t shit all over the crime scene, kinda like why I have a couple or plethora.
    Wow 85 years old.
    You go girl👍

    • I’ve had a few revolvers I sorely miss, one being an original Python and the other a .44 Ruger Blackhawk a “3 screw Ruger” My only wheel gun now is an Alec Baldwin gun. A SAA 4.75″ Uberti .45 Colt. 4109DE I love that thing. Baldwin is an ass.

      • Pietta 1873 357 Gunslinger with faux ivory grips here . ( I’m trying for the 1851 Navy handling/balance and still have the modern) so far no luck. ,, a Nice black leather holstein and belch.
        And *Blam*outta nowhere , (I came to)) I told the girlfiend tonight when I found a busted piece of ash tray glass that glittered cause she throwed an ash tray at me and it busted up and fluttered on the floor after it bounced of my head and she curb stomped me,,, zzzhhbzz, I say, “Honey,, yah know, if I had a bunch of these I’d gluem around my holstein, then I’d look like one of the mezkin bandito’s”.
        I get a good laugh out of it all though… She is part chimpanzee and she cant kick for sht.

  17. Not faulting the woman but she should have emptied all six into the guy. Six rounds from a .357 is going to make things much more difficult for him.

    It’s serves as a reminder to fire until the threat is eliminated.

    • She should have kept the revolving with her at all times, even at home. Strap it to her knickers or under her bta if she needs to. At that age everything hangs down anyway, what’s one more thing?

  24. “Despite the fatal wounds, Condon managed to fire back, wounding Jenneiahn multiple times.”

    Just heard a radio report the attacker was shot two times, and the defender was shot four times. Apparently, “stopping power” isn’t a thing, after all. Is the defender being more determined than the attacker the deciding factor?

    Is my Neos .22lr pistol simply useless for self-defense? Should I upgrade to .22mag?

      • “Two shots from a .22=1 shot from a .44.”

        I feel better, already; especially about not having to spend money on a new blaster and ammo.

        Tanx

  26. I love a story with a happy ending.
    Although she was injured, she’ll live to recount her story.
    Homeowner: 1, dirtbag criminal: 0.
    More guns=less crime, and a dead criminal is a win for law-abiding citizen.

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