A Big Mistake
Two masked men broke into a grandmother's house in Texas. Upon seeing the woman, they immediately realized their mistake. The wrong house had been broken into that day.
Grandma Rose's home had been broken into by two men who were attempting to take her belongings. The elderly woman, however, had other ideas for the thieves.
Grandma Rose
Grandma Rose was a 60-year-old woman living alone in Harris County, Texas since her husband John passed away three years ago.
The old woman had a quiet life and tried to stay as active as possible. While her daughter helped her once in a while, Grandma Rose was used to taking care of everything by herself. But would she manage to take care of what would happen next?
A Dangerous Trend
In the area where Grandma Rose lived, there had been more robberies than usual. All her neighbors were worried and tried to take extra security measures.
Grandma Rose decided to do something to protect herself as well, but it wasn't easy. She was on a tight budget and couldn't afford a house alarm or something sophisticated. So what could she do?
All Alone
Since Grandma Rose was living all alone, she had to be extra careful at all times. She didn't want to have intruders break into her home to steal her stuff or even harm her.
But what could the old woman really do? She was all by herself, except for the occasional visits from her daughter and grandchildren. She knew she had to stay vigilant. Would that be enough, though?
Recession
Lately, the old woman was feeling the effects of the recession that hit the entire country. She couldn't afford everything she wanted anymore, and times were tough. The woman had to prioritize her medicine and utilities above else.
Because of that, when she was faced with the possibility of losing her things to a robbery, she did something radical that surprised the entire country.
Worked All Her Life
The old lady worked almost all her life. She had her first job when she was 16 years old and continued to work well into her 50s until she retired due to health problems.
The grandma kept herself active and worked on her little backyard garden whenever she had the chance, but she couldn't do as much anymore. Still, being in her twilight years, she expected some peace and quiet. Sadly, that would not be the case.
Willing To Put Her Life On The Line
Regardless of how little monetary value her things had, she treasured them deeply. These weren't just things. They were memories of a beautiful life she built with her beloved husband in that home.
So when two men tried to rob her of the most valuable things she had, the old lady had the perfect response for them. After all, those things were more important to her than her own life.
Strong-Willed Grandma
Rose had always been a strong-willed woman, and everyone who knew her loved her for that. But her personality would get her in a lot of tricky situations.
The two men who invaded her home didn't know who they were dealing with and what she was capable of if challenged. Even if she was quite old, Grandma Rose was not the woman to back down from danger. Would her reaction be the right choice, though?
Two Men
Two local men had the awful idea of getting into people's homes and stealing their valuables. They eyed some quiet neighborhoods where mostly old people lived, thinking it would be a piece of cake.
Little did they know, it would be the biggest mistake of their lives. The house they'd pick was not so easy to rob after all.
Breaking In
Two young men broke into the wrong house that day. They thought no one was home, or maybe it was someone who wouldn't put up a fight and just let them do their thing. They thought it was going to be an easy getaway.
They couldn't be more wrong. Grandma Rose had a different plan than them and wouldn't back down so easily. Choosing her home would prove to be a giant mistake.
Quick Thinking
The burglars forced their way inside Rose's house with a crowbar and slowly entered until they reached the living room. They were looking for valuables.
At first, they thought no one was home as it was completely quiet, but the two would soon find out that Grandma Rose had something special prepared for them. As soon as she heard them, she decided to take action.
An Old Lady's Resolve
Grandma Rose quickly withdrew to her bedroom, where she had hidden an old gift from her late husband in a box. It was the thing that would save her.
The old woman then headed to the living room and confronted the two men. When they saw her coming at them, the burglars froze on the spot. They thought the old lady must be crazy. But she wasn't planning on letting anyone take her beloved treasures.
Armed
When Grandma Rose was face to face with the burglars, she pointed something at them and yelled to leave the things and go away. At first, they didn't see what it was, but then they realized the old lady had a weapon.
The thing is that they were also armed, but once the old lady fired a shot, the two burglars freaked out and started running.
Defending Herself
The old woman fired several rounds at the suspects while they fled the scene, hitting one of them. The suspect collapsed and passed away in the woman's front yard.
The other man managed to get away by jumping a fence, and police subsequently initiated a search to apprehend him. Grandma Rose was not harmed in the break-in.
Making The News
The story of how Grandma Rose defended her home made the news all over the country. People who saw the story being shared on social media congratulated the old lady and said she did the right thing.
Rose was still shaken by the event, and she never intended for things to play out like that, considering that one of the burglars lost his life in the process. But when you decide to rob a house in Texas, that's a risk you must consider. However, this type of scene happens more often than you may think.
Willie Murphy
Recently, Willie Murphy, an 82-year-old woman from Rochester, New York, protagonized a thrilling, yet humorous episode which earned her the admiration of everyone who heard her story.
However, it could have ended tragically. It was probably one of the most dangerous moments in Willie's life. Only God knows what could have happened to her if she hadn't reacted fast enough.
Rochester, New York
Willie Murphy is a well-known character in her neighborhood in Rochester, New York. She's been living there all her life and is revered as one of the community's elders. She's always nice and kind to everyone she encounters, and all her neighbors love and respect her.
But that isn't all the lady is known for. Mrs. Murphy has a certain hobby that makes her very different from most people her age.
Devoted Powerlifter
At 82 years of age, Willie Murphy is an ardent powerlifting enthusiast. She's won several awards, like the World Natural Powerlifting Federation of the Year award in 2014.
She also holds the national records in the bench for reps, the strict curl, and Ironmaiden categories. Despite being 5 feet tall and weighing 105 pounds, she can deadlift up to 225 pounds.
It Ain’t Easy
"Everybody is not able to power lift," Murphy said. "A lot of older people, they're into swimming, yoga, tai chi, various other things. But I guess I'm just unusual because I'm into natural powerlifting."
Usually, she goes training at her local YMCA gym almost every day. However, there is something about the place that has always been somewhat irking to her.
The Only Woman
She's the only senior citizen and the only woman who works out at that gym. "I was surprised that people were thinking that it was strange of me to be in the gym with mostly young men," Murphy said.
However, she never let that circumstance discourage her. This is what she has told the media about her devotion for this discipline:
Stronger And Stronger
"But I kept getting stronger and stronger, and I don't wear any belts, I don't use chalk, and I don't use the ammonia like other people when they compete in a competition. It just happened. I guess I'm just one of those things that nature has taken good care of me."
And that's not all. After she snatched several records for her age bracket in her 70s, the World Natural Powerlifting Generation had to create a whole new category just for her once she turned 80. However, Willie couldn't imagine that one day, her hobby would save her life.
Late At Night
It was late at night in Rochester, and Willie had just finished washing the dishes after cooking and eating dinner by herself in front of the TV. Most of her nights were like that, and she didn't have a problem with it.
She took solace in routine and the certainty that each day would finish the same way, with the same peace and quiet. However, that night would be different.
Noise
It happened a few minutes after Willie went to bed. After reading a few pages of a novel, she turned off the lights and lay down, expecting a night of deep slumber, just as usual.
But just a few minutes later, she heard something. Some noises were coming from the living room. "Probably something fell from the side table," she thought, trying to ignore it and fall asleep. But then, she heard it again.
Banging On The Door
Instantly, she felt a chill down her spine. Now, there was no mistake: someone was banging on the door. The knocks were loud and violent, like whoever was calling was in distress.
Willie woke up, went to the living room, and walked towards the door while the person outside kept banging. "What's going on?" Willie asked. Then, she heard someone hollering from the other side:
Screaming
"Open the door! Call an ambulance!" a man hollered behind the door. "Who is this? What's going on?" Murphy repeated. "Open the door! Please! An ambulance!" the man kept going on.
Murphy looked through the door's peephole; the man didn't look like the kind of person she would let into her house without asking questions. He was dressed in dark clothes, wearing a hood and a face mask. What if…?
Was It A Set Up?
What if he was trying to set her up and rob her? She decided to call the police and let them handle the issue. But the man kept hitting and hitting the door.
The strokes kept getting harder and harder. Eventually, he started charging against the door and ended up breaking through it; all the while, he kept yelling. And right then and there, all hell broke loose.
Paralyzed
For a few seconds, Murphy became paralyzed with fear. Her heart was galloping, and her mind went blank. But immediately, her fight or flight response kicked in, and the anxiety became pure adrenaline. She was ready to take action.
She knew what to do. In a matter of seconds, she was ready to handle the issue by any means necessary.
Going To Work
"It's kind of semi-dark, and I'm alone, and I'm old. But guess what, I'm tough," she recounts. "He picked the wrong house to break into. I took that table and I went to working on him. And guess what? The table broke."
Then, the intruder tried to get up and charge back at Murphy. However, the 82-year-old was ready.
Shampoo Attack
Murphy ran to the bathroom, got a bottle of shampoo, and poured it all over the man's face, impairing his sight. After that, she hit him some more with a broom.
"He wants to get the heck out of there. And I'm trying to help him get out of the house, but he's too heavy. I can't move him. He's dead weight." Shortly after, the police, alerted by a neighbor who could hear all the noise coming from Murphy's house, arrived at the scene.
Police Steps In
"The officers that came wanted to go on my front porch and take selfies with me," she recounts with a smile on her face.
As the investigations revealed a few days later, it was, in fact, a set up: the man had been trying to make Murphy let her guard down so he could enter the house with his accomplice, who was hiding in a corner but ran away after he saw how the scene unfolded, and rob everything they saw. However, they didn't know who they were dealing with. In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.