85-year-old Idaho girl hailed as ‘hero’ after capturing house invasion suspect | EUROtoday

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An 85-year-old Idaho girl is being hailed as a “hero” after fatally capturing a home-invasion suspect with a handgun she saved below her pillow.

Christine Jenneiahn was sleeping in her bed room when a person — recognized by authorities as Derek Condon — broke into her Bingham County property at round 2am native time.

Her son David Jenneiahn, who’s disabled, was additionally at house on the time.

Authorities mentioned Ms Jenneiahn was woken up by Condon, who was “dressed in a military jacket, black ski mask, and pointing a gun and flashlight at her,” earlier than she was allegedly handcuffed to a chair in her front room and shot a number of instances.

According to an incident evaluate, Condon allegedly struck Ms Jenneiahn within the head as she lay in her mattress, “as there was blood on the pillow and floor in her room where she had been sleeping,” and earlier than being taken to the lounge.

The incident evaluate added that Condon left Ms Jenneiahn handcuffed in her front room whereas he went downstairs and searched a number of rooms in her house.

However, unknown to Condon, Ms Jenneiahn had dragged the chair she was handcuffed to again to her bed room to retrieve her “357 magnum revolver from under her pillow” whereas he was downstairs within the property.

“She then went back into the living room and hid the revolver between the arm rest and cushion of a couch next to where she was seated and waited to see what Condon did next,” the evaluate added.

Upon returning to the lounge, Condon allegedly turned offended with Ms Jenneiahn for not telling him her son was in the home and threatened to kill her quite a few instances at which level “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 evaluate acknowledged.

Condon then returned hearth and shot Ms Jenneiahn a number of instances in her stomach, leg, arm, and chest earlier than he died of his wounds within the kitchen.

Ms Jenneiahn was discovered by her son in her front room, the place she was nonetheless handcuffed, ten hours later.

Police later arrived on the scene and found a screwdriver subsequent to the door the place Condon entered the house together with footprints main from the course of his close by automotive. Condon was discovered to be carrying a lock decide set and a bag of stolen objects from the residence.

Following the incident, Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley hailed Ms Jenneiahn as a “hero,” calling her actions “one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have heard of,” including, “Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night.”

Ms Jenneiahn’s case, from final month, was dominated as “justifiable homicide,” the Bingham Country Sheriff’s Office mentioned in an announcement on Facebook.

Mr Jolley mentioned that if Condon had survived the incident, he would have been charged with felony tried homicide, kidnapping, housebreaking, aggravated battery and grand theft.