Police reveal chilling details behind shocking quadruple murder in Illinois

The motives behind the murder of a family of four in Romeoville have been revealed.

According to 5 Chicago, police have released more than 100 pages of investigative analysis providing insight into the September 17, 2023 murders of Alberto Rolon and Zoraida Bartolomei, both 30, of their two children, Adriel , 10 years old, and 7 years old. -old Diego and their three dogs.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, it began with an affair between Bartolomei and his co-worker, Nathaniel Huey Jr., 31, long before the murders. Huey Jr.’s partner, Ermalinda Palomo, discovered the affair and created several fake social media accounts to convince Huey Jr. that he was working for the Mexican cartel. Police say the cartel ultimately ordered the family’s murders, according to 5 Chicago.

“Ermalinda (acting as one of her fictional characters) frequently referred to Nathaniel’s relationship with Ermalinda. She would encourage Nathaniel to be faithful in his relationship, stop talking with other women, treat Ermalinda kindly and have sex with her,” police reports state.

“Communications with Nathaniel eventually led Ermalinda to convince him that he was under constant surveillance by the organization and that leaders were questioning his loyalty and reliability. Based on years of communication, Nathaniel’s responses indicate that he fully believed the information but did not know that Ermalinda was the one he was communicating with.

On September 14, Palomo allegedly contacted Huey Jr. using one of his fake phone numbers, telling him that Bartolomei was a “mole” plotting against him, according to police reports. This led to the murders. Huey Jr. called in sick at work and began planning, believing the fake accounts were linked to the cartel, according to law enforcement.

Huey Jr. left Palomo in the car while he broke into the Romeoville family’s home. Hearing the noise, Rolon confronted Huey Jr. and was shot multiple times.

After shooting Rolon, Huey Jr. entered a bedroom and shot Bartolomei and their two children. The family’s dogs were also shot, one in the kitchen and two in a bedroom.

After the murders, Huey Jr. contacted the fake account to report what he had done.

Huey Jr. quickly became a suspect due to IPASS data, cell tower recordings and flocked camera systems placing his vehicle at the scene, according to 5 Chicago.

He was questioned and “admitted his relationship with Zoraida but denied any involvement in the murders. He refused to allow police to search his GMC Yukon at this time,” the police report states. “Later that day, he was seen transferring a bag containing firearms from his GMC to another person. The bag and its contents were then seized.

Huey Jr. met his mother at a Target and confessed to the murders, according to 5 Chicago.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, two people of interest in the Illinois family murders were found shot to death in a vehicle after a chase and crash in Oklahoma, one fatally.

Police identified Huey Jr. as a person of interest, as well as Palomo, who is believed to have a relationship with him, according to WMAQ. On the morning of September 20, 2023, a license plate reader spotted a vehicle linked to the couple in Catoosa, Oklahoma, nearly 650 miles away, Burne said this afternoon.

Authorities attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver “immediately attempted to elude officers, resulting in a single-car crash” on Interstate 44, he said.

The vehicle caught fire and police said they heard what sounded like gunshots. They found Huey Jr. shot to death in the driver’s seat and Palomo critically wounded in a gunshot wound in the passenger seat. She was taken to hospital and later died.

The deaths of Huey Jr. and Palomo closed the investigation into the murders.

“The tragic death of a young family, including two young children, will forever impact the surviving family and those who investigated this case,” Romeoville Police Chief Brant Hromadka said in a statement. press release.

“Nothing can prepare a person for such an incident, and nothing can justify such a senseless act of violence. Although finalized, the finality of this matter unfortunately does not mean the end for so many people who continue to grieve.

For the latest crime and justice news, subscribe to the “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” podcast.

Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most: your children.

(Featured photo: Zoraida Bartolomei, her husband Alberto Rolon and their children Adriel and Diego)