An Indiana woman is charged with fatally shooting the father of her two young children in the back of the head during a back massage in her car before driving to his parents’ home and killing them, authorities said.
Jenna Strouble, 30, of St. John, Ind., faces nine counts of first-degree murder in the March 22 deaths of Jacob Lambert, 32, Patrick Forde, 55, and Stacy Forde, 54, according to Will County Sheriff’s Office officials and court documents.
Strouble and Lambert had an occasional intimate relationship and two young children together, prosecutors said. She confessed to the killings after her arrest, telling deputies she did not like the way Lambert spoke to their children and felt his parents were “overbearing,” according to court records.
Investigators said Strouble picked up Lambert for a joyride that day. After finding Plum Creek Nature Preserve closed, she pulled over on Burnham Road in Sauk Village and told him she had a surprise for him — a back massage, authorities said.
Strouble climbed on his back in a straddling position while he lay face-down in the reclined passenger seat of her car and massaged him for approximately 20 minutes, court documents allege. During the massage, she held a Glock 19 pistol fitted with a suppressor to the back of his head for about eight minutes before shooting him once at point-blank range in the back of the head, authorities said.
Strouble then drove to the Forde family home in Crete Township, officials said. When Patrick Forde opened the door, she fired 17 bullets into him, according to court records. As Stacy Forde walked down the stairs, Strouble shot her three times in the chest and abdomen, authorities said.
Strouble fled to her hometown of St. John, Ind., where she was arrested. The Glock 19 used in the shootings was recovered from her, officials said.
A judge was scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday on whether to keep Strouble in custody pending trial. If convicted, she faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Will County Sheriff’s Office responded to a welfare check at the Forde home and discovered the bodies of Patrick and Stacy Forde. Lambert’s body was found in the back seat of Strouble’s car.
Strouble appeared in court Monday without an attorney and requested a delay until Tuesday so a lawyer could be present, according to local media reports.
The case remains under investigation.
