A 30-year-old Indiana woman accused of killing the father of her children and his parents in a shocking triple homicide allegedly lured her former partner into a meeting before carrying out a calculated attack, according to newly released court documents.
Jenna Strouble faces nine counts of first-degree murder over the deaths of 32-year-old Jacob Lambert and his parents, Patrick and Stacy Forde, in the Chicago area on March 22.
Prosecutors claim Strouble contacted Lambert on the day of the killings, asking him to meet up and “hang out,” before later admitting to investigators that she went to the meeting “with an intention” to harm him.
The pair initially planned to meet at a nature preserve, but after discovering the location was closed, Strouble allegedly pulled over along a nearby road in Sauk Village and suggested giving Lambert a back massage.
Court documents state Lambert lay face down in the vehicle while Strouble massaged his back for around 20 minutes. During that time, prosecutors say, the situation took a deadly turn.
Strouble allegedly told investigators that after Lambert criticized her technique, she retrieved a Glock handgun hidden beneath the passenger seat and held it to the back of his head for several minutes before pulling the trigger.
Following the shooting, prosecutors say Strouble drove to the home of Lambert’s parents in nearby Crete Township, where the violence continued.
She allegedly attempted to use Lambert’s keys to gain entry before his father, Patrick Forde, opened the door. Authorities claim Strouble immediately began firing from the porch as she entered the home, striking him 17 times in the chest and abdomen.
Moments later, when Stacy Forde came downstairs, she was also shot multiple times, according to prosecutors.
When questioned by investigators about her intentions, Strouble allegedly admitted she went to the home to complete her plan, responding, “Yeah, pretty much.”
After the killings, she is accused of returning to her residence in St. John and calling her sister to confess, prompting the relative to alert authorities.
Deputies responding to the scene in the early hours of March 23 reportedly found Patrick Forde’s body in the dining room and Stacy Forde on a staircase. Lambert’s body was later discovered in a nearby cul-de-sac, still inside a vehicle with the seat reclined.
Prosecutors say that when officers arrived at Strouble’s home, she came outside and handed over a loaded Glock 19 fitted with a suppressor. Investigators also located a vehicle registered to Lambert less than a block away.
Court filings further allege that Strouble had written a note the night before the killings listing the names of her children and asking others to care for them.
She reportedly admitted to purchasing the firearm in December 2025 and acquiring the suppressor online.
Authorities have pointed to ongoing tensions between Strouble and Lambert, including disagreements over parenting and custody of their two children, as a possible motive. The pair were said to have maintained an intermittent relationship while co-parenting.
According to investigators, Strouble acknowledged she had limited involvement in her children’s lives and had previously relinquished custody to Lambert and his family, only recently regaining it.
She also allegedly made disturbing statements about considering harm toward her own parents, expressing concerns about her children’s safety.
In response to questions about whether she targeted Lambert’s parents to prevent them from taking custody, Strouble is said to have replied that it was “some of the reasons.”
Investigators also uncovered prior incidents involving alleged threats and mental health struggles, including claims she once considered harming herself along with her children.
Strouble is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, where a judge will decide whether she will remain in custody ahead of trial. If convicted, she could face life in prison.
