Christine Jenneiahn may be 85 years old but that doesn't mean she's an easy target. When a masked, armed man broke into her Idaho home threatening her and handcuffing her to a chair, she fought back, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and ultimately killing the attacker.
AND she lived to tell the tale.
Elderly Woman Wakes Up to a Nightmare
Wooden chair and handcuffs used by armed assailant in home invasion in Idaho.
KSL News/Bingham County Sheriff's Office
It was 2 a.m. on March 13 when Christine woke up, shocked to find herself staring down the barrel of a loaded 9-mm pistol.
According to the Bingham County Sheriff's Office, the assailant, wearing a black ski mask and a camouflage jacket, broke in through a window.
After pistol-whipping her across the head, the man, later identified as 39-year-old Derek Condon, dragged her out of bed and down the hall to the living room where he handcuffed her to a wooden chair. With a gun to her head, Condon then demanded to know if there was anyone else in the house and where she kept the valuables.
Wanting to protect her adult son with disabilities who was sleeping downstairs, Christine lied and told him that she was alone.
Condon left her handcuffed in the living room while he went off in search of loot. Christine seized the opportunity. She lugged the chair to her bedroom, grabbed her .357 Magnum revolver from under her pillow, and then returned to the living room, hiding the gun in the couch cushions beside her.
Then, she waited.
At some point Condon returned, threatening to kill her. Terrified, Christine knew it was "now or never." She drew her gun and fired, striking him twice.
"Condon returned fire and emptied a 9 mm pistol into Christine striking her multiple times in her abdomen, leg, arm, and chest," states a report posted to the County Sheriff's Facebook page.
Condon crawled to the kitchen where he died of his wounds. Christine, still handcuffed to the chair and riddled with bullet holes, "fell to the floor." She remained there for 10 HOURS before her son finally came upstairs and gave her a phone so she could call 9-1-1.
Police arrived just after noon to find her son, David, standing in the doorway. Officers "provided life-saving measures on her" and rushed her to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. She has since been released.
An Incredible Act of Bravery
The official incident report on a home invasion in Bingham County, Idaho.
Bingham County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
During their investigation, deputies discovered that Condon was suffering from mental health issues and PTSD from the time he served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
In an interview with police, Christine revealed that she didn't want to shoot Condon but she felt like she didn't have a choice. She feared for both her life and her son's life.
"I'm a very nice old lady but you can only push somebody so far."
Christine Jenneiahn via KSL News
As for the prosecuting attorney's office, they won't be pressing any charges.
"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," Prosecuting Attorney Ryan W. Jolley wrote.
Summarizing the harrowing events he said, "He [Condon] had told Christine he would kill her multiple times. 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."
"That Christine survived this encounter is truly incredible. Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night."
Prosecuting Attorney Ryan W. Jolley
Not to mention, never mess with Mama.
In the face of extreme danger, Christine didn't let her age or fear prevent her from saving her life and that of her son. She did what any mother would do...fiercely protect her child at all costs. Christine's heroic actions don't just speak to the power of self-preservation, they are a true testament to a mother’s love. And there is nothing in this world more powerful.
*Featured image contains photo by Anna Shvets and Rafael Classen rcphotostock.com
Don't Wait for Your Dreams to Bring You What You Crave
That “thing” you are chasing is not going to bring you everything you’re imagining.
If you are reading this, you are probably striving to achieve something great in your life. You have a vision for how things will be better in a week, month, or year from now. Not an hour goes by where you don’t think about what it will feel like to have that thing you crave.
You should hold your vision close. The clarity and sense of purpose that come from a strong vision will aid you as you move the needle closer to your goals. But there’s an inherent problem with always being focused on the future, too. When you always think forward, life speeds up. Questions about how and when you’ll get things pop up like whack-a-mole in your mind. Solving problems becomes increasingly difficult under this type of duress. You feel a chronic sense of urgency to achieve more than you did yesterday, and it can at times be overwhelming.
Forward thinking is useful, but it’s not the only tool in your toolbox. Whatever dream you are chasing, it would benefit you to slow down and remember what’s available to you right now. Make sure that the thing you are striving after isn’t already sitting in your pocket.
Don't Wait for Your Dreams to Bring You What You Desire
Take a moment to consider the goal you’ve set, and ask yourself:
What will you have, be, or be capable of doing once you’ve reached it that you undisputably cannot have, be or do now?
This question sheds light on the beliefs we hold about ourselves and the resources available to us right now. Is satisfaction impossible if you don’t reach your end result? Do you need to have, be or do something before you can feel great about yourself?
The most common obstacle I run into when asking people this question is that money will help them achieve their goals.
“Well if I had more money I could be/have/do this, and…”
I’m not saying more money won’t do that. It certainly can. But you run the risk of missing out on all that’s available to you right now if you only ever employ your focus forward towards the perceived promised land of more money or the accomplishments you’re seeking.
There are more, but here are three examples of things that money, personal achievements, or results of any kind cannot give you:
1. Self-love
Money can’t buy you a better relationship with yourself.
Do you scoff when you think about loving yourself? You’re certainly not alone. But I’d bet the house that you are consistently inconsistent and fall victim to self-sabotage often. It’s hard to be consistent when the process feels like a chore.
There are no real grandiose gestures to demonstrate a love for yourself, but it must come from within. Slow down. Measure how far you’ve come, and figure out a way to celebrate small milestones that will excite you and motivate you to keep going.
A sense of gratitude towards your physical body, efforts, and accomplishments helps balance and rejuvenate the relationship you have with yourself. Achievement is a game that requires you to effectively deal with yourself, and self-love is the most powerful tool at your disposal for doing so.
2. Willpower
Maybe your vision of success isn’t to make a boatload of money. Maybe, deep down, you believe that losing the weight or achieving the goal you’ve set will unlock the door behind which infinite willpower is kept. You're in search of that feeling of unlimited power so that you can be someone others look up to.
Guess what? Whatever your goal is, that’s not coming when you achieve it. It doesn’t matter how remarkable your goal is. The truth is, making the right choice on a consistent basis is the mother of willpower. When you slow down, you realize that you only have the power to make the right choice today. Tomorrow will come, and you’ll have an opportunity to make that choice again. It will feel awkward at first, but with enough repetitions, you’ll find the willpower you are searching for.
3. The power to change results you aren’t happy with
Maybe you’re searching for the magic to help you get started. Maybe one or two areas of your life, like work and personal finances, are in order, but you’re sorely lacking in others.
Quite possibly the worst feeling in the world is knowing others have changed something that you can’t figure out. We’ve all felt as though we’re flawed, incapable, or have wasted a significant amount of time.
“If only I knew this when I was younger, life would have been so different!”
Achieving your goal will not make your next success easier. We like to think that some people just have it all figured out, but that’s not the case. You must be willing to embrace the suck at first and enter each arena that you’d like to improve on separately. You’ll notice patterns from previous experiences, but the skills you’ll need to achieve your goals have to be developed from scratch.
Hold this close: you’re always one decision away from making the right decision. No result will allow you to wave a magic wand and achieve something else.
Stop and smell the roses
A life with a bigger bank account, a trimmer waist line, a happier family or a greater sense of purpose are all great things. You should want to want those things. Forward thinking will help you create the vision for your life that you want.
But don’t forget to stop and smell the roses every once in awhile. Remember what’s available to you right now, in this moment.
There is more right now than you can probably imagine.