Authorities have unveiled new details regarding a 30-year-old woman from Indiana, charged with the fatal shooting of the father of her children and his parents in an Illinois suburb earlier this month.
Jenna Strouble faces nine counts of first-degree murder related to the deaths of 32-year-old Jacob Lambert and his parents, Patrick and Stacy Forde, in an incident that occurred in Chicago on March 22, according to reports from FOX 32.
As per the newly disclosed court documents, Strouble reached out to Lambert on the day of the alleged crime, inviting him to “hang out.” She later confessed to authorities that she approached the meeting with a harmful intent.
Prosecutors claim Strouble initially drove to Plum Creek Nature Preserve. However, upon discovering the location was closed, she pulled over on Burnham Road in Sauk Village and suggested giving Lambert a back massage, as reported by FOX 32.
Court documents, as cited by the outlet, reveal that Strouble proceeded to straddle Lambert, who was lying on his stomach, and gave him a back massage for approximately 20 minutes.
Strouble then straddled Lambert as he laid on his stomach and massaged his back for about 20 minutes, court documents revealed, according to the outlet.
Strouble allegedly told investigators that when Lambert criticized her technique, she retrieved a Glock handgun hidden underneath the passenger seat and held it to the back of his head for several minutes before shooting him.
32-year-old Jacob Lambert was allegedly shot and killed inside a vehicle in Chicago, Illinois on March 22, 2026, according to prosecutors. (Smits Funeral Homes)
Prosecutors said immediately following the shooting, Strouble drove to Lambert’s parents’ home in nearby Crete Township and attempted to use his keys to get inside before his father, Patrick Forde, came to the door, according to FOX 32.
As Patrick Forde opened the door, Strouble allegedly began shooting from the porch as she entered the home, ultimately striking him 17 times in the chest and abdomen.
As Stacy Forde came downstairs, Strouble allegedly shot her three times in the chest and abdomen, FOX 32 reported.
Patrick and Stacy Forde were gunned down inside their home in Crete Township, Illinois on March 22, 2026, according to prosecutors. (Facebook/Stacy Oezer Forde)
Upon being asked if she came to Lambert’s parents’ home to finish her plan, Strouble allegedly told investigators, “Yeah, pretty much.”
Immediately after the alleged murders, Strouble is accused of returning to her home in St. John, Indiana and calling her sister to admit to what she had done, with Strouble’s sister ultimately notifying police.
Deputies reportedly arrived at the Fordes’ home around 2 a.m. on March 23 to find Patrick Forde’s lifeless body in the dining room and Stacy Forde lying on the stairs.
Lambert’s body was located in a nearby cul-de-sac in the passenger seat of a 2014 Ford Fusion Titanium, still face down with the seat reclined.
As officers arrived at Strouble’s St. John home to take her into custody, prosecutors said Strouble came outside and handed them a loaded Glock 19 fitted with a suppressor, with investigators locating a vehicle registered to Lambert less than a block away, FOX 32 reported.
Court documents revealed Strouble penned a note the night before the alleged killings providing the names of three of her children and asking others to care for them, according to the outlet.
Strouble allegedly admitted to purchasing the gun in December 2025 and buying the suppressor online for roughly $589.
Prosecutors pointed to Strouble’s complaints about Lambert’s parenting and tensions with his family as a possible motive for the alleged murders, with the pair occasionally maintaining an intimate relationship while co-parenting their two young children.
The mother reportedly admitted to not having a relationship with her children and spending little time with them, adding that she voluntarily handed custody over to Lambert and his family and only recently had them returned to her.
Strouble also allegedly told investigators she considered killing her own parents because she did not feel her children would be safe under their care.
When investigators asked if she killed Lambert’s parents because she did not want them to take custody of their children, she allegedly replied, “that’s some of the reasons.”
Prosecutors pointed to an incident in which Strouble allegedly took her father’s rifle and stashed it under her bed, later telling him she thought about killing Lambert but did not have a plan, according to FOX 32.
Investigators also learned of Strouble’s past suicidal tendencies and medication for depression, including one incident in which she wanted to kill herself by jumping out of a window with her children, the outlet reported.
Strouble is set to appear in court Tuesday, where a judge will make a determination to keep her in custody until her trial.
If convicted, Strouble could face life in prison.
Fox News Digital was unable to immediately locate an attorney assigned to represent Strouble.
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