Inset: Jenna Strouble (Will County Jail). Background: The home where Strouble allegedly killed Stacy Forde and Patrick Forde (WLS).
An Indiana woman, aged 30, is facing serious charges after allegedly orchestrating the murder of her on-again, off-again boyfriend in Illinois, followed by the cold-blooded killing of his parents at their home.
According to court documents, Jenna Strouble is accused of carrying out a premeditated plan on March 23 to kill her boyfriend, Jake Lambert, along with his parents, Stacy Forde, 54, and Patrick Forde, 55. Armed with a loaded Glock, Strouble reportedly admitted to investigators that she had doubts about her ability to follow through with the plan, as reported by Patch in their coverage of the prosecutor’s petition. Following the alleged triple homicide, Strouble returned to her Indiana residence, where her two young children, aged 3 and 4, were present. She was subsequently arrested and now faces three counts of first-degree murder.
In custody, Strouble allegedly provided a detailed confession of the events. She purportedly picked up Lambert late in the evening, between 11 and 11:30 p.m., and drove him around before stopping the car under the pretense of giving him a “surprise” massage, as outlined in the court documents.
Prosecutors allege that Strouble instructed Lambert to recline his seat, remove his shirt, and lie face down, before massaging his back for approximately 20 minutes. During this time, she retrieved a Glock from beneath the seat after he reportedly criticized her massage technique.
Strouble is said to have aimed the firearm at Lambert’s head for around eight minutes, wrestling with the decision to carry out the act and contemplating postponing it before ultimately pulling the trigger and shooting him in the head.
Following the fatal shooting, Strouble allegedly paused to smoke a cigarette before proceeding to Lambert’s parents’ home. She reportedly struggled to gain entry until Patrick Forde opened the door, setting the stage for the subsequent tragic events.
“As soon as he did, she began shooting him, firing from the porch and then continuing as she entered the house,” the report states.
Strouble then allegedly shot and killed Stacy Forde as she was coming downstairs to check on the cause of the commotion.
Prosecutors say Strouble later told police she had also considered killing her own parents but “didn’t think she could go through with it.” The motion further alleges she had a history of suicidal and homicidal thoughts, including an incident in which she considered jumping out of a window while holding her children.
Authorities also said Strouble purchased the firearm in December “specifically for this plan” and had acquired a suppressor online. A search of her bedroom uncovered additional suppressors and ammunition, prosecutors said.
Strouble allegedly provided little motive beyond saying she disliked how Lambert spoke to their children and viewed his parents as “overbearing,” according to the filing.
As Law&Crime previously reported, authorities described the killings as a targeted, domestic-related incident between Strouble and Lambert, who were described as having “an on/off” romantic relationship. Investigators said Strouble made incriminating statements after the slayings, and a firearm believed to have been used in the killings was recovered from her Indiana home.
Since her arrest in Indiana, Strouble waived extradition and was transferred to Illinois to face murder charges. She is currently being housed at the Will County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again for a pretrial detention hearing on Monday morning.
