Police have released new details in the case of an Illinois woman who tricked her fiance into thinking the cartel was after him so he'd murder his mistress.
On September 16, Nathaniel Huey Jr. allegedly murdered his lover, Zoraida Bartolomei, her husband Alberto Rolon, and their sons, Adriel, 9, and Diego, 7.
Huey was reportedly tricked by his fiancee, Ermalinda Palomo, into believing that he was being watched by the Mexican and Bulgarian cartels, who had instructed him to kill the family of four.
The murder plot was organized by Palomo in response to Huey's workplace mistress, Bartolomei.
When she learned of Huey's affair with Bartolomei, she used fake social media accounts to convince Huey that he was "part of a Mexican and Bulgarian criminal organization."
Furthermore, she told him there was a "'mole' planning to attack him, and that days before the murders, Bartolomei was actually the "mole" who had put a target on his back.
Huey Jr. and Bartolomei "developed a romantic relationship" after they met while working at an engineering company in Glendale Heights, according to NBC 5.
"Communications with Nathaniel eventually led Ermalinda to convince Nathaniel he was under constant surveillance by the organization and that the leaders questioned his loyalty and trustworthiness," the police reports state, per NBC 5.
Palomo contacted both Huey and Bartolomei under the guise of a criminal organization and threatened to reveal their affair.
"Based on years of communication, Nathaniel's response seems to indicate he fully believed the information being fed to him by Ermalinda but did not know Ermalinda was the person he was communicating with," the report added.
On September 14, two days before the murder, Palomo told Huey that Barolomei planned to attack him.
Under the alias, Palomo worked with Huey to plan the murder.
"They researched the neighborhood to locate cameras, planned how to get in and out of the house, and learned the house behind Zoraida's was vacant."
Palomo allegedly told Huey to cause damage to make the scene appear to be a burglary committed by kids and reassured him by saying "many murders go unsolved."
Around 3:17 a.m. on September 16, 2023, Palomo drove Huey, Jr. to the murder scene.
The family of four was shot dead by a 9mm pistol a total of 20 combined times before they were discovered the following day.
Authorities were able to separately track down Huey and Palomo, and in the few days after, both were considered prime suspects.
Huey and Palomo then fled to Catoosa, Oklahoma. They were exiting a Walmart when they were confronted by Catoosa police.
A car chase quickly ensued but ended with Huey Jr. allegedly shooting Palomo and crashing the car in a fiery explosion.
Huey Jr. was killed in the crash, and Palomo was transported to an area hospital, where she died.
