Illinois resident, Jenna Strouble is currently facing nine counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of her husband, 32-year-old Jacob Lambert, and his parents, Patrick and Stacy Forde, in Chicago on March 22. Now, court documents shed light on the chilling sequence of events that led to the tragic killings by the 30-year-old.
According to prosecutors, Strouble contacted Lambert on the day of the alleged murders, asking him to “hang out.” She later admitted to investigators that she went to this meeting “with an intention” to harm him. Per Fox News, the alleged plan began to unfold when Strouble drove to Plum Creek Nature Preserve with Lambert.
When they discovered the first location was closed, she pulled over along Burnham Road in Sauk Village and offered Lambert a back massage. Strouble reportedly straddled Lambert as he lay on his stomach and massaged his back for approximately 20 minutes. Stroble told investigators that Lambert then criticized her massage technique. So, she allegedly retrieved the Glock handgun she had hidden under the passenger seat, held it to his head for several minutes, then shot him.
Even if it was planned, this was the trigger
Immediately after, Strouble is accused of driving to Lambert’s parents’ home in nearby Crete Township. Prosecutors allege that as Patrick Forde, Lambert’s father, opened the door, Strouble began shooting from the porch as she entered the home, 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. When investigators later asked Strouble if she came to Lambert’s parents’ home to finish her plan, she reportedly replied, “Yeah, pretty much.”
Following these horrific events, Strouble returned to her home in St. John, Indiana, and called her sister to confess, who then notified the police. When officers arrived, prosecutors stated that Strouble came outside and handed them a loaded Glock 19, which was fitted with a suppressor. Court documents also revealed that Strouble had penned a note the night before the alleged killings, providing the names of her children and asking others to care for them.
Prosecutors have pointed to Strouble’s complaints about Lambert’s parenting and ongoing tensions with his family as a possible motive for the alleged murders. The pair had occasionally maintained an intimate relationship while co-parenting their two young children. Strouble reportedly admitted to not having a strong relationship with her children, adding that she had voluntarily handed custody over to Lambert and his family.
When investigators inquired 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.” Allegedly, she had also considered killing her own parents because she didn’t feel her children would be safe under their care.
Investigators also learned of Strouble’s past suicidal tendencies and medication for depression. There were even two troubling incidents, once when she wanted to kill herself by jumping out of a window with her children/ Second, when she allegedly hid her father’s rifle, later telling him she thought about killing Lambert but did not have a plan at that time.
As Cornell Law School explains, first-degree murder often involves a premeditated intent to kill, meaning the defendant spent some time reflecting or weighing their decision, rather than acting on an impulse. You can see how, based on that definition, prosecutors have charged her with first-degree murder. It is similar to the horrifying case of the mother who killed her teen to protect her, unlike the father, whose intentional child abuse led to death.
Outside of her thoughts of depression and harm. She had purchased the gun in December 2025 and a suppressor online for about $589. There was no recorded act of provocation; she stated that it was part of a plan. Additionally, she was calm, even planning for her children, as confirmed by the note, which is a significant piece of evidence. It indicates she had thought about the murder for a period of time and did not change her mind.
If she is convicted of these charges, Strouble could face life in prison.
Published: Apr 2, 2026 09:04 am