A woman and her boyfriend allegedly orchestrated a deadly plot that claimed the lives of a family of four. New details reveal that Ermalinda Palomo manipulated her boyfriend, Nathaniel Huey Jr., into committing the 2023 murders. Palomo allegedly convinced Nathaniel by falsely claiming the orders came from a Mexican cartel.
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Details On Woman’s Scheme That Killed Family Of Four
Authorities believe Nathaniel Huey Jr. shot and killed Alberto Rolon, 38, Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, their two sons — Adriel, 9, and Diego, 7, and their three dogs on Sept. 16, 2023, per Fox23Chicago. Police discovered the bodies of the family of four during a welfare check the next day.
PEOPLE reports that Zoraida Bartolomei had an affair with Nathaniel Huey Jr. They were coworkers at an engineering company in Glendale Heights, Illinois.
Documents detailed how Ermalinda Palomo reportedly posed as a cartel leader online to manipulate Huey into killing the family of his lover. Two days before the murders, Palomo allegedly convinced Huey that Zoraida Bartolomei was a “mole” planning to attack him. She had used the cartel alias to allegedly plan Zoraida and her family’s murder with Huey. They scouted the area for cameras and mapped their entry and exit. Additionally, they discovered the neighboring house was vacant, NBC 5 reports.
A police report stated: “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.”
Using Ring doorbell footage, IPASS data, cell towers, and flock camera systems, police tracked a vehicle’s route from Streamwood to Romeoville. Authorities believed Huey Jr. drove the said vehicle, per NBC Chicago. The morning after the incident, police claimed Huey Jr. went to work, and they interviewed him at his job.
“Nathaniel admitted to his relationship with Zoraida but denied any involvement in the murders. He refused to allow Police to search his GMC Yukon at this time. Later this day, he was seen transferring a bag containing firearms from his GMC to another person. The bag and its contents were later seized,” the police report explains.
More Info On Authorities Investigation Of The Alleged Murderous Couple
On Sept. 20, 2023, investigators named Ermalinda Palomo and Nathaniel Huey Jr. as suspects in the case, but they reportedly fled to Catoosa, Oklahoma. After entering a Walmart, police confronted them outside, leading to a car chase where Huey Jr. allegedly shot Palomo before crashing the vehicle into a fiery explosion.
Authorities found Huey Jr. dead at the scene, while Palomo later died in the hospital, according to PEOPLE. Police stated that although the latest findings conclude their months-long investigation, they won’t erase the pain many have felt since the gruesome murders.
“The tragic deaths of a young family, including two young children, will forever impact the surviving family and those that investigated this case. 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,” Romeoville Police Chief Brant Hromadka said in a statement.
