Ermalinda Palomo, aged 50, was involved in and ultimately died as a result of the events surrounding the quadruple murders of the Rolon-Bartolomei family in Romeoville, Illinois.
On September 17, 2023, Romeoville police discovered the bodies of Alberto Rolon, Zoraida Bartolomei, and their two sons, Adriel and Diego, along with their three dogs, all of whom had been shot to death. The investigation revealed that Nathaniel Huey Jr., Bartolomei's coworker and paramour, was the shooter.
However, it was Ermalinda Palomo, Huey Jr.'s fiancée, who masterminded the murders. Palomo had been aware of Huey Jr.'s affair with Bartolomei and created a complex web of deception, using fake phone numbers and online accounts to convince Huey Jr. that he was involved with a Mexican drug cartel. She manipulated him into believing that Bartolomei and her family were targets of this cartel, leading him to carry out the executions.
Following the murders, Palomo and Huey Jr. were tracked by police and eventually located in Oklahoma. On September 18, 2023, after leaving a store, the couple was confronted by Catoosa police, leading to a brief chase. The chase ended in a fiery crash on an Oklahoma interstate when their vehicle crashed into an expressway divider and burst into flames. During this incident, Huey Jr. shot and killed Palomo before taking his own life. Palomo was pulled out of the burning vehicle alive but succumbed to her gunshot wounds later that day at the hospital.
Palomo's family had initially filed a missing persons report, believing she had left against her will, but it was later revealed that she was a key participant in the planning and execution of the murders. The investigation files and police records detailed the extensive manipulation and deception Palomo used to orchestrate the killings, highlighting her central role in the tragic events.
