The motives behind the murders of a family of four in Romeoville have been released.
According to 5 Chicago, police have released over 100 pages of investigative analysis providing insight into the September 17, 2023, murders of Alberto Rolon and Zoraida Bartolomei, both in their 30s, their two children, 10-year-old Adriel and 7-year-old Diego, and their three dogs.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, it began with an affair between Bartolomei and her coworker, Nathaniel Huey Jr., 31, well before the murders. Huey Jr.’s partner, Ermalinda Palomo, discovered the affair and created several fake social media accounts to convince Huey Jr. he was working for the Mexican cartel. Police say the cartel eventually ordered the murders of the family, according to 5 Chicago.
“Ermalinda (acting as one of her fictional characters) frequently referenced Nathaniel’s relationship with Ermalinda. She would encourage Nathaniel to be faithful in his relationship, stop speaking with other women, treat Ermalinda nicely, and engage in sexual intimacy with her,” the police reports state.
“Communications with Nathaniel eventually led Ermalinda to convince him he was under constant surveillance by the organization, and that the leaders questioned his loyalty and trustworthiness. Based on years of communication, Nathaniel’s responses indicate he fully believed the information but did not know Ermalinda was the one he was communicating with.”
On September 14, Palomo reportedly contacted Huey Jr. using one of her 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 to work and began planning, believing the fake accounts were connected to the cartel, according to law enforcement.
Huey Jr. left Palomo in the car as he broke into the Romeoville family’s home. Hearing the noise, Rolon confronted Huey Jr. and was shot several 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 records, and flock camera systems placing his vehicle at the scene, according to 5 Chicago.
He was questioned and “admitted to his relationship with Zoraida but denied 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 later seized.”
Huey Jr. met with his mother at a Target and confessed to the murders, according to 5 Chicago.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, two persons of interest in the murders of the Illinois family were found shot in a vehicle after a chase and crash in Oklahoma, one fatally.
Police identified Huey Jr. as a person of interest, along with Palomo, who was said to be in a relationship with him, according to WMAQ. On September 20, 2023, in the morning, a license plate reader spotted a vehicle linked to the pair in Catoosa, Oklahoma—nearly 650 miles away, Burne said that afternoon.
Authorities attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver “immediately tried to elude officers, resulting in a single-car crash” on Interstate 44, he said.
The vehicle caught fire, and police reported hearing what sounded like gunshots. They found Huey Jr. dead from a gunshot wound in the driver’s seat, and Palomo critically wounded from a gunshot in the passenger seat. She was taken to a hospital and later died.
The deaths of Huey Jr. and Palomo closed the investigation into the murders.
“The tragic deaths 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.
“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 case unfortunately does not mean closure for so many continuing to grieve.”
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[Feature Photo: Zoraida Bartolomei, husband Alberto Rolon, and their children Adriel and Diego]
