- Nathaniel Huey Jr. allegedly murdered his mistress, Zoraida Bartolomei, her husband Alberto Rolon, and their sons, Adriel, 9, and Diego, 7, on Sept. 16, 2023
- He was allegedly tricked by his fiancée Ermalinda Palomo into believing he was being watched by Mexican and Bulgarian criminal organizations, who instructed him to kill the family
- Palomo allegedly made Huey believe that Bartolomei was tasked with targeting him, and he needed to perform a counterattack
New details have been revealed in the deaths of Alberto Rolon, his wife, Zoraida Bartolomei, their sons, Adriel, 9, and Diego, 7, and their three dogs.
The family members were the victims of an elaborate murder plot allegedly involving Bartolomei’s workplace lover, Nathaniel Huey Jr., and his fiancée Ermalinda Palomo, according to police documents obtained by NBC 5, Fox 32 and ABC 7.
The documents detailed how Palomo first learned of Huey Jr.’s affair with Bartolomei. Palomo first used fake social media accounts to convince Huey Jr. he was “part of a Mexican and Bulgarian criminal organization,” police said. She also convinced Huey Jr. there was a “‘mole’ planning to attack him” and told him two days before the murders that Bartolomei “was the ‘mole'” targeting him.
Zoraida Bartolomei, Alberto Rolon, their kids Adriel & Diego.
Alberto Rolon Facebook
Huey Jr. and Bartolomei “developed a romantic relationship” after they met while working at an engineering company in Glendale Heights, reports NBC 5, citing the records.
After Palomo learned of her fiancé’s affair, she created a series of fake social media accounts and pretended to be a Mexican criminal organization. Under that guise, she contacted Huey Jr. and Bartolomei and revealed details of their affair to threaten them.
“Communications with Nathaniel eventually lead Ermalinda to convince Nathaniel he was under constant surveillance by the organization and that the leaders questioned his loyalty and trustworthiness,” the police reports state, per NBC 5.
“Based on years of communication, Nathaniel’s response seems to indicate he fully believed the information being fed to him by Ermalinda, but did not know Ermalinda was the person he was communicating with,” the report added.
On Sept. 14, two days before the murders, Palomo, under the cartel alias, convinced Huey that Bartolomei was a “mole” in the organization and was “planning to attack him.”
Under the alias, Palomo worked with Huey Jr. to plan Zoraida’s murder. “They researched the neighborhood to locate cameras, planned how to get in and out of the house, and learned the house behind Zoraida’s was vacant,” the report says, per NBC 5.
“They discuss[ed] the persons residing at the residence, including Zoraida, Albert, and their two children as well as the number and types of dogs in the house. Ermalinda tells Nathaniel to cause damage to make the scene appear to be a burglary committed by kids. Ermalinda reassures Nathaniel by saying, ‘Many murders go unsolved,’ ” continues the report, per ABC 7.
Zoraida Bartolomei, Alberto Rolon, their kids Adriel & Diego.
Alberto Rolon Facebook
On Sept. 16, 2023, around 3:17 a.m., Palomo drove Huey, Jr. to the murder scene and back. She remained in the car when he allegedly carried out the crime, according to a police report, per NBC 5.
The family of four was shot dead by a 9mm pistol a combination of 20 times in their Romeoville, Ill. home on Sept. 16, 2023, and were discovered on Sept. 17.
Police discovered the murdered family the next day. Romeoville police separately tracked down Huey Jr. and Palomo and questioned them. The two denied any involvement in the killings, and at the time, there was no solid evidence, so they were sent home.
By Sept. 20, investigators considered them suspects in the case and they fled to Catoosa, Okla., per ABC 7. They went into a Walmart, and once they exited the store, they were met by Catoosa police. A car chase ensued and ended with Huey Jr. allegedly shooting Palomo and crashing the car in a fiery explosion. Huey Jr. was killed in the crash and Palomo was sent to the hospital, where she died.
The newly obtained records document that Huey Jr. allegedly confessed to his mother that he was the killer. Huey Jr. and Palomo’s attorney, John Paul Ivec, told ABC 7 that he did “not know who [Huey Jr.’s] mother is and have no information as to his conversation with her or what she knew.”
The Romeoville Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Friday.
