Indiana woman accused of killing children's father, his parents in Chicago suburb; new info revealed

WILL COUNTY, Ill. - A 30-year-old Indiana woman is accused of carrying out a series of fatal shootings across two locations in Chicago’s south suburbs, killing the father of her children and his parents, according to prosecutors.

What we know:

Jenna Strouble faces nine counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 32-year-old Jacob Lambert and his parents, Patrick and Stacy Forde, in Chicago's south suburbs.

According to court documents, Strouble asked Lambert to "hang out" on March 22. Strouble told investigators she planned the encounter and admitted she went there "with an intention" to harm him.

She arrived to pick him up around 11 to 11:30 p.m.

Prosecutors said she then drove to Plum Creek Nature Preserve, but it was closed, so she pulled over along Burnham Road in Sauk Village and told Lambert she had a surprise for him: a back massage.

After he reclined his seat and lay on his stomach, she straddled him and massaged his back for about 20 minutes. She told investigators how he criticized her technique. During that time, she allegedly retrieved a Glock handgun she had hidden under the passenger seat.

According to prosecutors, Strouble said she held the gun to the back of Lambert’s head for several minutes, at one point nearly putting it down, before ultimately shooting him in the head.

Prosecutors said Strouble then drove to Lambert’s parents’ home on East Norway Trail in Crete Township. She used his keys to try to get inside before Patrick Forde came to the door and asked who was there.

When he opened the door, Strouble allegedly began shooting from the porch and continued firing as she entered the home, striking him 17 times in the chest and abdomen.

Stacy Forde came down the stairs and was shot three times, also in the chest and abdomen.

When asked if she was trying to get into the parents' home to finish her plan, she allegedly told investigators, "Yeah, pretty much."

After the shootings, prosecutors said Strouble returned to her home in St. John, Indiana, and called her sister to tell her about what had happened. The sister ended up calling police.

Deputies responding to the scene of the crime around 2 a.m. on March 23 found the front door open. Patrick Forde was lying in the dining room area, and Stacy Forde was on the stairs near the front door. Spent shell casings were scattered near both victims and the entryway.

Lambert was found separately in a 2014 Ford Fusion Titanium in a nearby cul-de-sac, still in the passenger seat, face down with the seat reclined.

When officers in St. John went to arrest Strouble, prosecutors said she came outside and handed them a bag containing a loaded Glock 19 fitted with a suppressor. A vehicle registered to Lambert was located less than a block away.

She later told investigators she bought the gun in December 2025 in Crown Point and purchased the suppressor online for about $589, according to prosecutors.

According to court documents, Strouble wrote a note the night before the killings asking others to care for her children. She provided three names. She also told her sister over the phone that she wanted her to look after her kids.

Dig deeper:

As for a motive, prosecutors said Strouble complained about Lambert’s parenting and tensions with his family.

Besides still having an occasional intimate relationship in addition to parenting their two young children, Strouble reportedly complained that she and Lambert did not communicate well and only engaged in small talk.

According to prosecutors, she also told investigators she considered killing her own parents, as she didn't feel her children were safe with them or Lambert. When asked if killing Lambert's parents was part of a plan because she didn't want them to have custody of the children, she allegedly said, "that's some of the reasons."

Strouble also allegedly told investigators that she didn't have a connection with her children, and that she doesn't spend time with them even though she doesn't work and voluntarily turned them over to Lambert and his family, only recently getting them back.

Prosecutors said Strouble committed the killings while wearing a shirt brand she called "God Inspires."

Additionally, investigators learned of an incident where Strouble reportedly took her father's rifle, which he later found under her bed. She allegedly told her father she thought about killing Lambert, but didn't have a plan.

According to prosecutors, Lambert claimed she never fired the gun used in the killings before and that she bought the firearm solely for this plan. However, evidence recovered from her room in St. John contradicted that statement.

Prosecutors said Strouble admitted having past suicidal tendencies and investigators learned of one prior incident of her allegedly wanting to commit suicide by jumping out of a window with her children. She also took medications for depression.

What's next:

Strouble appeared in court Monday, but nothing was decided. She is due back Tuesday when a judge will decide whether to keep her in custody pending trial.

If convicted, she faces natural life in prison.

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