Zoraida Bartolomei: Illinois woman murdered alongside her family was in a relationship with the killer
ROMEOVILLE, ILLINOIS: In a shocking turn of events, police have made a major discovery nearly three months after the Romeoville murders took place where a shooter executed a mother, father, their two young children and the family's three dogs.
Alberto Rolon, Zoraida Bartolomei and their boys Adriel, nine, and Diego, seven, were found dead inside the family's home on a quiet suburban block on September 17. It was already revealed previously that the investigation team had considered Nathaniel Huey Jr as the killer but they did not reveal any additional information related to the incident at that time.
Authorities have made a stunning revelation about the Romeoville murders
In the day following the Chicago-area murders, the prime suspect, Huey Jr was found shot dead after a police pursuit and fiery crash in Catoosa, Oklahoma. A woman, labeled "missing and endangered" and a "person of interest" at the time, was also found shot and later died at an area hospital. She was later identified as Ermalinda Palomo, Huey Jr's girlfriend.
Police have now finally revealed answers to some of the many questions left in a murder mystery that has been looming over the past few months.
"The investigation has revealed that Zoraida Bartolomei and the suspect, Nathaniel Huey Jr had a relationship", authorities said in a noon-hour written statement according to ABC7Chicago. "The existence of this relationship was known both by Bartolomei's husband, Alberto Rolon and Huey Jr.'s girlfriend, Ermalinda Palomo," the statement added.
Even though the authorities have not specified what type of relationship the killer and the victim were involved in, whether they had an estranged love affair or if was a secret romance-gone-sour, the startling utterance by the police that Bartolomei and Huey Jr had "a relationship together" is the first solid suggestion of a possible motive.
Ermalinda Palomo had prior knowledge of Nathaniel Huey Jr's intent
According to the outlet, detectives have video and digital evidence that Palomo accompanied Huey Jr to the murder scene and drove the getaway vehicle. "Evidence indicates Palomo had prior knowledge of Huey Jr.'s intent to commit the murders, was involved in the planning, and drove the vehicle to the crime scene" the police statement read.
"Digital evidence shows the path of the vehicle used to commit the crime traveling from Huey Jr.'s and Palomo's home in Streamwood, Illinois to the 500 block of Concord in Romeoville and back to Streamwood at the time the murders took place. Huey Jr exited and re-entered the offending vehicle from the passenger side and Palomo was the driver of the vehicle."
Ermalinda Palomo's family believes she left against her will
After the murders, Palomo's family filed an "endangered persons" report with suburban police, and said they believed she left against her will. The family, through their attorney JohnPaul Ivec, has stated that they "had no previous knowledge" that police considered Palomo a participant in a quadruple murder plot.
As per a surveillance footage obtained by the outlet, Huey Jr and Palomo were seen holding hands, and buying what appears to be hair dye, a burner phone, and other cosmetic supplies just less than an hour before the pursuit. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's office said its investigation into the cause and manner of their deaths is still under investigation.
