Just a reminder that if you're a psychopathic criminal breaking into a home on the American frontier, you're more likely than not to find a gun waiting for you on the other side of the door:
The 85-year-old mother of a disabled son committed a "justifiable homicide" in Idaho when she shot an armed burglar who snuck into her home and threatened to "kill her multiple times," a county prosecutor said.
To quote Aerosmith incorrectly, Granny's got a gun!
"Justifiable" is an understatement. The 85-year-old, Christine Jenneiahn, was woken up in the middle of the night when 39-year-old Derek Condon broke into her home and shoved a gun and flashlight into her face:
The perp reportedly struck Jenneiahn on the head hard enough to draw blood, after which he "handcuffed Jenneiahn and took her to the living room."
The criminal subsequently "demanded she tell him where the valuables were kept in her home" and threatened multiple times to kill her:
Jenneiahn eventually told Condon about two safes downstairs, which led to him leaving her handcuffed in the living room while he went to check several rooms multiple times, according to the review.
While turning over the house, Condon realized that "Jenneiahn's disabled son was also in the home." This prompted further threats from Condon.
The elderly woman, meanwhile, boldly took a dangerous opportunity to obtain her firearm:
At some point when Condon was downstairs, Jenneiahn dragged the chair she was handcuffed to into her bedroom and got her .357 Magnum from under her pillow, according to the incident review. The mother then returned to the living room and hid the gun between the armrest and cushion of a couch next to where she was seated and waited to see what Condon did.
At this point in the story we're all pretty much on the edge of our seats, if not completely off them.
As an aside, you've gotta love this polite midwestern old lady stuff: the woman grabs her hand cannon from under her pillow, and instead of putting two or three into this violent criminal the second he walks back into the room, she "waited to see what [he] did."
You're a special lady, Mrs. Jenneiahn!
But even Idaho octogenarians have their breaking point:
During the chaos, Jenneiahn ultimately decided that it was "now or never" so she pulled out her revolver and shot Condon twice, the review says. Condon would return fire, shooting Jenneiahn multiple times in her abdomen, leg, arm and chest, the document continued.
Condon promptly died from his injuries. And at this point you're probably thinking: "Wow, this 85-year-old woman got shot multiple times and she still survived! What a tough lady!"
But you don't know the half of it:
A still-handcuffed Jenneiahn fell to the floor and remained there for 10 hours, according to the prosecutor.
She lay with gunshot wounds for 10 hours.
Her son ultimately found her and gave her the phone to call police. The killing was ultimately ruled "justifiable homicide," with Bingham County prosecutor Ryan Jolley stating that "any reasonable person would believe it necessary" to do what Jenneiahn did:
"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 ... Christine was justified in taking any and all means necessary to defend herself and her son that night. "
We salute you, ma'am, and wish you a swift recovery!
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