WILL COUNTY, Ill. — The investigation into the 2023 slayings of a Romeoville family has ended, and police records obtained by WGN reveal the alleged mastermind behind the shooting deaths of two adults, two kids and three dogs was the shooter’s fiancée who wove a web of deceit and manipulation in an attempt to get him to end his affair with one of the victims.
According to a police report, the victims, Alberto Rolon, 38, Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, their two sons, 9-year-old Adriel and 7-year-old Diego, and their three dogs were shot a combined 20 times in the early morning hours of Sept. 17, 2023. It was a call for a welfare check later that night that brought officers to the family’s home in the 500 block of Concord Avenue.
Body-worn camera video released Thursday night by the Romeoville Police Department showed investigators arriving at the home. As they approached, officers reportedly saw through the window overturned furniture, multiple dead dogs, and a table on the floor.
It was then investigators say they made the grim discovery of the expansive crime scene allegedly at the hands of Nathaniel Huey Jr., of Streamwood. According to police, Huey Jr. shot the entire family with a 9mm gun, including Bartolomei, a coworker he was accused of having an affair with.
Investigators indicated Rolon and Huey Jr.’s fiancée, Ermalinda Palomo, were aware of the alleged affair involving their partners. At one point, Rolon allegedly damaged the tires on Huey Jr.’s vehicle and later typed him a letter, paid him back for the damaged tire, and demanded he end his relationship with Bartolomei.
Palomo was nowhere close to an innocent bystander in all of this, police say. In fact, it was quite the opposite; she’s accused of orchestrating an entire ruse to convince Huey Jr. he was constantly in danger and trick him into thinking he needed to kill Bartolomei and her family.
According to records, Palomo spent several years communicating with Huey Jr. using multiple fake personas on various texting and messaging applications. An investigator on the case says it appeared Palomo spent that time convincing Huey Jr. he was part of a Mexican and Bulgarian criminal organization that included a hierarchy of people in different roles.
While there was no cartel, Huey Jr. did not know that, investigators say.
“Some of the roles she established for various characters include: organization bosses and shot-callers, hitmen, and hackers. Ermalinda [Palomo] (acting as one of her fictional characters) frequently referenced Nathaniel’s [Huey Jr.’s] relationship with Ermalinda [Palomo]. She would encourage Nathaniel [Huey Jr.] to be faithful in his relationship,” the report read.
Police did not believe, based on years of communication, Huey Jr. knew the person behind the various fake accounts was his fiancée. Investigators say Palomo convinced Huey Jr. there was a “mole” planning to attack him, but did not specify who, leading to paranoia.
Just days before the killings, reports show Huey Jr. received a message from someone on the mobile messaging app Pinger who he believed to be part of the Mexican drug cartel he was convinced he was part of. On the other end, was Palomo, investigators say.
“The message informed him that Zoraida [Bartolomei] was a “mole” who has been targeting him,” investigators wrote in a case report.
To end the threat, investigators say Huey Jr. unknowingly communicated with Palomo, acting as one of her created characters, over a messaging app to carefully plan the killings.
“They researched the neighborhood to locate cameras, planned how to get in and out of the house, and learned the house behind Zoraida’s [Bartolomei’s] was vacant,” read the police report.
According to investigators, Huey Jr. and Palomo, behind her fake account, messaged about the layout of the home, the people and types of dogs inside it, how to make it look like a burglary committed by kids, and the importance of making sure Bartolomei’s vehicle was home before carrying out the crime.
“Move through locate and hit the two adults first,” read one of the messages between the pair. “Then two kids.”
Palomo, behind her fake account, allegedly reassured Huey Jr. by telling him “many murders go unsolved.”
Huey Jr. reportedly told who he believed was a cartel member, that he would have Palomo drive, which evidence showed did happen, investigators report.
According to police, it was around 3:40 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 17, 2023 when Huey Jr. went into the family’s home and carried out the violent slayings that spanned across multiple rooms. He then began to spray paint a message on the walls, detailed in texts to who he believed was a cartel member, to make it appear the crime was committed by kids doing a senseless crime.
Text messages between Huey Jr. and Palomo’s alias detailed plans to burn clothing and destroy cellphones he planned, but failed, to steal from the victims, and how to avoid getting DNA on any bullets so no evidence was left at the scene.
As the planning was underway, investigators say Bartolomei remained clueless about the plot she was allegedly involved in as the “mole,” and until hours before the murders, made calls and texts to Huey Jr. confessing her love for him.
Police say they used phone records, tollways cameras, license plate readers and other records to tie the suspects and their whereabouts to the crime.
Under questioning, Huey admitted to the affair but denied involvement in the murders. Body-worn camera footage and police records show he refused to let police look in his SUV and wouldn’t consent to a search of his phone.
“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,” investigators wrote.
Investigators, detailed on body-worn camera, also spoke with Palomo, who denied her involvement in the crime. She could be seen on camera crying and saying she was unaware he was having an affair, before admitting to being aware of his long history of infidelity.
Investigators say before the pair skipped town, Huey Jr. reportedly confessed to the murders during a meeting with a family member. It’s not clear when police became aware of this information.
Police say a statewide officer safety bulletin was issued on Sept. 19, typically used to keep officers safe by warning of any potential threats, and included information on the suspects.
The next day Palomo’s family reported her missing, according to a case report. In the early stages, she was initially painted as being a victim against her will, but video surveillance from a Catoosa, Okla., Walmart quickly disputed that, investigators say.
“Both appeared relatively relaxed. Each had an opportunity to flee from the other or seek help,” investigators in Catoosa wrote in their report.
Authorities say that when they tried to stop the pair after leaving the store, Huey Jr. took off, later crashing into a median. The SUV burst into flames and investigators say it’s believed he may have set the fire before shooting Palomo in the head and turning the gun on himself.
New body-worn camera video released by police in Oklahoma to WGN showed the moments officers responded to the fiery crash, putting an end to a crime spree that started with a case that rattled the Romeoville community and beyond.
Police say, even with the investigation closed, it will never bring full closure for those impacted by this act of violence. Romeoville police chief Brant Hromadka shared a statement Thursday:
“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 trying to grieve. Please respect the privacy of the surviving family as they move forward.”