Updated at 1:40 p.m. with information from Jenkins’ initial court appearance

Christopher Jenkins, 41, has been charged with felony counts of deliberate homicide, assault with a weapon, strangulation of a family member and tampering with evidence for allegedly killing his grandmother on May 8.

He was booked in the Cascade County Adult Detention Center on May 8 on a $750,000 bond. He’ll make an initial court appearance on May 11.

Officers were dispatched to 1010 12th St. N.W. at 2:52 p.m. May 8 after a caller reported he’d found his neighbor dead.

She was identified as Lorraine Jenkins, born in March 1930, according to court documents.

Jenkins lived with his grandmother at that address.

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Officers spoke with the caller, who said that when he entered the residence, Christopher Jenkins was there and told the caller that Lorraine was dead.

When officers arrived, the screen door was closed, but the interior door was open and no one responded.

Officers entered and saw feet from beneath a blanket in the living room, with blood spatter, shattered glass from a display cabinet, a shattered nightstand and a television.

During a sweep of the residence, officers heard a male calling to them from the backyard, who was identified as Jenkins.

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Officers observed a fire poker stick that appeared to have dried blood on the handle and Jenkins had what appeared to be dried blood on his shoes and pants, according to court documents.

When asked what kind of yardwork he was doing, Jenkins told the detective he was getting ready to bury his grandmother.

Jenkins was transported to the Great Falls Police Department, where he agreed to provide a statement, during which he admitted to killing his grandmother, according to court documents.

Jenkins told investigators that he first choked her while facing her, then moved behind her while she was in a chair and choked her until her body went limp. He said he then threw her onto the ground and beat her with multiple tools, including a metal stick from the barbecue, a black cane and a white owl figurine, all of which were recovered through a subsequent search warrant, according to court documents.

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Jenkins told officers that after killing his grandmother, he took a shower to wash off the blood and decided not to bury her since he knew police would be on their way, according to charging documents.

He said he’d smoked marijuana the night before and been drinking all day. He told officers he was a methamphetamine user but hadn’t used meth in months.

The witness who entered the residence told officers that he asked where Lorraine was and Jenkins pointed at her body and said “she’s dead,” according to court documents.

In his statement to officers at the GFPD, he said he got up around 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. on May 8 and it was daytime when he killed his grandma. He told officers that it was around 1 p.m. when the assault ended.

He told officers that it was around noon when he attempted to kill himself multiple times using a tire rope swing and detectives observed red marks on his neck, according to court documents.

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Jenkins said his grandmother was sitting in a living room chair and he begged her to kill him, but she would not. He said that he had tried hitting his head on the basement floor and an upstairs mirror. He said at some point his grandmother’s face changed and “it was not his grandma anymore,” so he didn’t kill her, he killed “that,” according to court documents.

Jenkins told investigators that he suffers from depression, bipolar disorder and psychosis and stopped taking his anti-psychotic medications in 2020, according to the police affidavit.

Officers responded to the residence on April 21 when Jenkins shoved his grandmother after an argument, but she didn’t fall since she was holding on to her walker. Lorraine and family members told police at the time that Jenkins had lived with his grandmother for several years, but he’d become verbally abusive toward her over the prior month, according to court records.

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Jenkins has at least one prior felony conviction for child endangerment from a case in which he struck another vehicle while driving with his then 7-year-old daughter in the backseat and left the scene. He received a deferred sentence in that case, which was completed and dismissed. He’s also been convicted of misdemeanor sexual assault and has at least one prior bond revocation, according to court documents.

In California, he was convicted of felony burglary and manufacture/possession of dangerous weapons.

Jenkins is not eligible for pre-trial services and prosecutors are asking that before release, he be placed on alcohol monitoring at his own expense. Failure to do so and provide proof to the county attorney’s office within 24 hours of release will result in a bail revocation.

During his initial hearing, Jenkins appeared before Judge John Parker via Zoom from the county jail.

Stephanie Fuller, a deputy county attorney, said that Jenkins had killed his 96-year-old grandmother in a “truly horrific incident.”

She said Lorraine Jenkin’s autopsy was scheduled for May 12, and depending on that report, the prosecution may amend their charges since there was some questions as to whether strangulation was the cause of death or that she was still alive when she was hit in the head.

Mark Frisbie, a public defender representing defendants for initials on Monday, said that Jenkins wished to remain in custody and they agreed to the $750,000 bond.

He said that Jenkins was born and raised in Great Falls, had graduated from high school and attended some college.

Parker maintained the bond at $750,000 due to the severity of the charge and stipulation from the defense.