Illinois man manipulated by girlfriend into killing Romeoville family of four, police say

An Illinois woman manipulated her cheating boyfriend into believing he was being threatened by violent drug runners, leading him to slaughter a family of four before killing that tech-savvy girlfriend and himself, police said Thursday.

Detectives in the Chicago suburb of Romeoville have been trying for nearly a year to understand why Nathaniel Huey Jr., a 31-year-old from Streamwood, killed Zoraida Bartolomei, Alberto Rolon, their two young boys and three dogs on September 17. year.

Huey and longtime girlfriend Ermalinda Palomo were spotted days later in Oklahoma. A police chase ended with Huey shooting Palomo before fatally shooting himself.

Palomo’s loved ones initially feared she was being taken against her will by Huey, but police now believe she was the mastermind of a twisted plot to eliminate a romantic rival.

“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.

“Nothing can prepare anyone for such an incident, and nothing can justify such a senseless act of violence. Although concluded, the finality of this case unfortunately does not provide closure for so many who continue to grieve.”

Palomo, 50, knew that Huey, 32, was having an affair with Bartolomei about a year before the murders, police said, motivating her to launch an elaborate online plot.

She created fake phone numbers and online accounts to contact Huey and make him believe he was in the crosshairs of a Mexican drug cartel, police said.

Huey “fully believed the information Ermalinda gave him, but was unaware that Ermalinda was the person he was communicating with,” wrote Romeoville Police Detective Daniel Zakula.

Ermalinda further convinced Nathaniel that a ‘mole’ was planning to attack him. The ‘mole’ was not immediately identified, leaving Nathanial paranoid about who it could be.”

Then, on September 14, three days before the murders, Huey was told by Palomo’s online persona that “Zoraida was a ‘mole’ who was targeting him.”

Palomo then played an active role in planning the family’s murder, police said.

“It was then that Nathaniel and Ermalinda (playing a character) began planning Zoraida’s murder,” wrote Zakula. “They examined Zoraida’s house to determine its layout. They canvassed the neighborhood to locate cameras, planned how to get in and out of the house, and discovered that the house behind Zoraida was vacant.”

Huey committed the murders while communicating with Palomo via two-way radios, police said. Huey also contacted “Ermalinda’s character ‘Turtle’ that day to discuss the execution of their operation to kill Zoraida.”

The murders of Rolon, 38, Bartolomei, 32, and their two boys, 7 and 9, shocked the community just southwest of Chicago.

But even before the full extent of the twisted plot was revealed Thursday, police said at the time that they knew the quadruple murder was not a random crime and that there was a “link between our suspect and the victims, as well as a possible motive.”

Police said they believe Palomo also tried to manipulate the victims, telling them in electronic messages and at least one handwritten letter to stay away from Huey because he is a dangerous street gang member.

Chris Burne, deputy chief of the Romeoville Police Department, declined Friday to discuss what Palomo may have sought by also working on that side of the case: “I really can’t speculate on her intentions.”

Zakula said he and his partner, Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force Detective Jeff German, presented their findings to superiors, prosecutors and village officials.

“I conclude, without any contradiction from those present, that Nathaniel and Ermalinda are solely responsible for the murders,” Zakula wrote. “Both perpetrators have now died. Case closed.”

A family attorney representing Palomo’s loved ones declined comment Friday.