GREAT FALLS — Christopher James Jenkins has been charged with several felonies after he allegedly killed his grandmother in Great Falls.
Court documents state that on Friday, May 8, 2026, police officers responded to a residence at 1010 12th Street NW after a person reported that he found his neighbor deceased.
The caller said it appeared the female victim had been beaten to death.
The victim is identified in the charging documents as Lorraine Jenkins, who was born in 1930.
When officers arrived, they talked with Jenkins in the backyard of the residence, where he was "doing yardwork." When an officer asked what kind of yardwork, Jenkins reportedly said he was getting ready to bury his grandmother.
Jenkins was then taken to the Great Falls Police Department and interviewed. Jenkins stated that he went up to his grandmother, who was sitting in a chair in the living room, and begged her to kill him.
Jenkins said his grandmother would not kill him, and then told police that he had to kill his grandma "so the boy wouldn't have to kill his mom."
Jenkins then said his grandmother's face changed and "it was not his grandma anymore."
Court documents state that he admitted killing his grandmother by choking her, and beat her with tools, including a metal stick he retrieved from the barbecue..
He reportedly said he did not kill his grandma, he killed "that."'
Jenkins told police he then put on his grandmother's robe after showering, briefly saw himself as his grandmother, then removed the robe and placed it in the same pile of clothes that were present when he killed her.
Jenkins then went to the backyard to look for a place to bury his grandmother. He stated he had a shovel and started to dig a hole but decided not to bury her in the yard and placed the shovel in the shed.
According to the charging documents, Jenkins has convictions for child endangerment, sexual assault, and sexual intercourse without consent.
Jenkins, 41 years old, is charged with deliberate homicide, assault with a weapon, strangulation of partner/family member, and tampering with physical evidence. Prosecutors requested that bail be set at $750,000.
(MAY 8, 2026) The Great Falls Police Department in investigating what it calls a "serious incident" on Friday, May 8, 2026.
The agency said in a news release at about 3:10 p.m. that the incident is along the 1000 block of 12th Street NW.
There is an "increased police presence" and officers will likely be in the vicinity for some time.
The GFPD says that a a person has been taken into custody, and determined that there is no threat to nearby schools.
Residents in the area say that investigators were at the scene until after 9 p.m. on Friday.
No other details have been released. We have asked the GFPD for more information, but have not yet received a response.
We will update you when we get more details.
