Alberto Rolon, his wife, Zoraida Bartolomei, their sons Adriel, 9, and Diego, 7, and their three dogs all died, and new information has emerged.
According to police papers obtained by NBC 5, Fox 32, and ABC 7, the family members were the victims of an intricate murder plan allegedly including Nathaniel Huey Jr., Bartolomei’s workplace lover, and his fiancée Ermalinda Palomo.
The documents described how Palomo first learned of Huey Jr.’s involvement with Bartolomei. Palomo initially used bogus social media accounts to persuade Huey Jr. that he was “part of a Mexican and Bulgarian criminal organization,” according to investigators. She allegedly convinced Huey Jr. that there was a “‘mole’ planning to attack him” and told him two days before the murders that Bartolomei “was the mole” targeting him.
According to NBC 5, Huey Jr. and Bartolomei “developed a romantic relationship” after meeting while working at an engineering company in Glendale Heights.
After learning of her fiancé’s adultery, Palomo set up a slew of phony social media accounts and pretended to be a Mexican criminal organization. Under that guise, she phoned Huey Jr. and Bartolomei, revealing facts about their affair to scare 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,” according to police reports, via 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 investigators stated.
On September 14, two days before the murders, Palomo, using a cartel pseudonym, convinced Huey that Bartolomei was a “mole” in the organization who was “planning to attack him.”
Palomo, using the alias, collaborated with Huey Jr. to organize 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 said, according to NBC 5.
“They talked about the people that lived there, such as Zoraida, Albert, and their two children, as well as the quantity and sorts of dogs. Ermalinda instructs Nathaniel to wreak damage so that the incident appears to be a burglary done by children. Ermalinda reassures Nathaniel, stating, ‘Many killings go unsolved,'” according to ABC 7.
Palomo drove Huey, Jr. to and from the murder location on September 16, 2023, at approximately 3:17 a.m. According to a police report obtained by NBC 5, she stayed in the car as he allegedly committed the crime.
The family of four was found dead on September 17 after being shot 20 times with a 9mm pistol in their Romeoville, Illinois, home on September 16, 2023.
The following day, police uncovered the deceased family. Police in Romeoville apprehended and questioned Huey Jr. and Palomo separately. The two denied any involvement in the killings, and because there was no substantial evidence, they were released.
By September 20, authorities considered them suspects in the case, and they escaped to Catoosa, Oklahoma, according to ABC 7. They entered a Walmart and were met by Catoosa police officers as they departed. A car chase occurred, culminating in Huey Jr. allegedly shooting Palomo and crashing the vehicle in a massive explosion. Huey Jr. was killed in the crash, and Palomo was taken to the hospital, where she died.
According to recently obtained data, 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 “does not know who [Huey Jr.’s] mother is and has no information about his conversation with her or what she knew.”
The Romeoville Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information on Friday.
