Last year, Illinois police released their final report on a triple murder that killed two young children. The report revealed a web of lies and manipulations set up by a lover who had been dumped.
Around 9 p.m. on September 17, 2023, police went to a home in a Chicago neighbourhood to make sure everyone was okay after one of the family members did not show up for work.
Body camera video allegedly showed that when police arrived, they looked through a window and saw several dead dogs and a mess of a house.
When police went into the house, they found the bodies of Alberto Rolon, 38, his wife Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, and their two boys, Adriel, 9, and Diego, 7. Three dogs were also dead.
The Romeoville Police Department sent its final report on the homicides to local TV stations . Over the ensuing weeks and months, detectives allegedly uncovered a convoluted plot masterminded by the fiancée of Bartolomei’s lover. According to police, Bartolomei began a long-standing affair with a co-worker, 32-year-old Nathaniel Huey Jr. At some point, Huey’s fiancée, 50-year-old Ermalinda Palomo, learned of the affair.
Police say Palomo then “created multiple online personas” over a period of years to pretend to be part of a Mexican drug gang and trick Huey into thinking he was a member of the group.
Police wrote that she created parts for many characters, such as organisation leaders and gunmen, hitmen, and hackers.
Over time, “they” told Huey that the “organisation” had a “mole.” Cops say Huey got a message a few days before the killings saying that Bartolomei was the “mole” and she was going to attack him.
Paloma then started to plan the murders with Huey while playing one of her roles. She showed him how the house was set up and where cameras might be in the area. Police say Huey had no idea that his fiancée was planning the whole thing.
“They talk about the people who live there, like Zoraida, Albert, and their two kids. They also talk about how many and what kind of dogs live there.”
Nathaniel is told by Ermalinda to do damage to make it look like kids broke in and stole the things. Nathaniel feels better when Ermalinda tells him, “Many murders go unsolved,” the report said.
“Find the two adults and hit them first,” the message said. “Then two kids.”
According to reports, Palomo drove Huey to the crime scene just after 3 a.m. on September 16, 2023. Police say Huey then broke into the house and used a 9 mm gun to shoot the four people and three dogs 20 times.
Law & Crime previously reported that Romeoville police Deputy Chief Chris Burne told reporters that Huey and Palomo were named as suspects a few days after the killings.
He also said that Huey, the woman, and the car they were thought to be driving were wanted by other police departments. The car’s licence number was read in Catoosa, Oklahoma, on September 20, 2023—more than 600 miles from the killings, according to Burne.
Police tried to stop the car, but the driver got away. Burne said it went down and caught fire. As the police got closer to the car, they heard what sounded like two gunshots.
Firefighter Burne said that they found Huey shot in the driver’s seat and Palomo shot in the passenger seat. Burne says that Huey was declared dead at the scene of the accident while the woman was rushed to the hospital.
She died afterwards. Police think that Huey shot Palomo and then shot himself.
The Romeoville police chief gave a statement to local reporters after the final report came out.
“The tragic deaths of a young family with two young children will have an effect on the family that is still alive and on the people who looked into this case forever.”
No one can be ready for something like this, and there is no reason for such a senseless act of murder. Finalising this case does not mean peace for many people who are still grieving, even though it is over.