A woman is accused of killing the father of her children — as well as his parents — in a “targeted” attack at an Illinois home before she allegedly fled to Indiana.
Jenna Strouble, of St. John, Indiana, is charged with nine counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Jacob Lambert, Stacy Forde and Patrick Forde on Monday, March 23, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois.
Authorities described Strouble, 30, as having an “on/off relationship” with Lambert, 32, who they said she shared children with.
The charges against Strouble stem from the morning of March 23, when “a concerned family member” called Will County sheriff’s deputies for a welfare check at a home in Crete Township, the sheriff’s office said in a Tuesday, March 24, news release.
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At the home, they found Lambert’s body inside a car in a driveway outside the residence, according to authorities.
Inside the home, deputies found the bodies of Stacy, 54, and Patrick, 55, “on the first floor, near the front door,” the sheriff’s office said.
Lambert, Stacy and Patrick were shot to death, according to authorities, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Early in the investigation, deputies learned Strouble had been at the home and “fled the scene” following the killings, to her house in Indiana, where she was arrested by St. John police, according to the sheriff’s office.
“The preliminary investigation shows this was a targeted incident and during the detectives’ interviews, Strouble gave incriminating statements, following the homicides,” the sheriff’s office said.
During the investigation, authorities found a gun Strouble allegedly used to kill Lambert and his parents, according to the sheriff’s office.
A potential motive for the killings was not specified by law enforcement.
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Strouble is detained in the Lake County Jail in Indiana, where she is awaiting extradition to Illinois to face the murder charges, according to the sheriff’s office.
It was not immediately clear if Strouble had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
Following the killings, outreach teams with Illinois Youth and Family Services visited neighbors who knew the victims to offer support, CBS News reported.
“It’s real heavy. You never know what someone is going through, you know,” Sam Barnett, an outreach team member, told the outlet. “When you see them, they’re smiling at you. When the door is shut, you just don’t know what’s going on in a home, so it’s just – it can happen to anyone.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
