A 32-year-old man, Nathaniel Huey Jr. has confessed to killing his mistress and her family after being manipulated by his 50-year-old fiancée, Ermalinda Palomo in the United States.
Local authorities say Palomo convinced Huey that he needed to carry out the murders to protect himself from an imaginary international crime organization.
According to police reports, the tragedy unfolded on September 17, 2023, in Romeoville, Illinois.
Zoraida Bartolomei, 32, her husband Alberto Rolon, 38, and their two young sons, Adriel, 9, and Diego, 7, were all killed in their home. This case left local authorities baffled at first.
After discovering her fiancé’s affair with Bartolomei, Palomo, 50, hatched a plan to make Huey believe that he was in danger.
She created fake social media accounts and convinced him that he was being watched by a “Mexican and Bulgarian criminal organization.” The police documents reveal that she frequently warned him to remain faithful to her and threatened him if he did not comply.
“Based on years of communication, Nathaniel’s response indicates he fully believed the information being fed to him by Ermalinda,” the legal documents state. Palomo also communicated with Bartolomei using her fake identities, adding to the deception.
Just two days before the murders, Huey was told by these fake contacts that Bartolomei was planning to attack him. Under pressure from Palomo, he was convinced he had to kill Bartolomei and her family.
Reports indicate that Huey took time off work to plan the attack. He researched the neighborhood and devised a plan to make the murders look like a burglary. On the day of the killings, he entered the Bartolomei home through an unlocked kitchen door and shot Rolon as he came out of his room. Huey then killed Bartolomei and her two children.
Huey also shot the family’s three dogs and used spray paint to write on the walls, trying to convince investigators that the crime was committed by teenagers.
After the murders, Huey expressed concern in messages with the fake accounts, worried he forgot to take Bartolomei’s and Rolon’s phones before leaving the scene.
Police launched an investigation after the family was reported missing. They traced Huey’s vehicle route and interviewed him and Palomo. Huey initially denied any involvement but later confessed to the murders while meeting with his mother at a store.
The couple attempted to flee and were tracked to Oklahoma, where they were caught on surveillance cameras. A high-speed chase ended tragically with both Huey and Palomo dying in a crash after Huey shot her and then himself.
Romeoville Police Chief Brant Hromadka commented on the case, saying, “Nothing can prepare a person for such an incident, and nothing can justify such a senseless act of violence. The tragic deaths of this young family will forever impact the surviving family and those that investigated this case.”
