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Balfour Charged in Hudson Family Killings

By DON BABWIN
,
AP
posted: 213 DAYS 21 HOURS AGO
comments: 131
filed under: Movie News, Music News
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CHICAGO (Dec. 1) - Police arrested the estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson on Monday in the deaths of the entertainer's mother, brother and young nephew, taking him from a prison where he had been held on a suspected parole violation. Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a "person of interest" in the investigation. He has now been charged with three counts of first degree murder and one count of home invasion.
Balfour is scheduled for a bond hearing at noon Central time tomorrow.
Skip over this content

Hudsons Family Tragedy

    Chicago police say that they've discovered the body of a boy in an SUV just miles from the crime scene where Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were fatally shot.

    SunTimes.com

    Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson was hit by tragedy Friday when her mother and brother were found shot to death in Chicago. Authorities said the star's 7-year-old nephew is missing in the wake of the shootings. Here, Hudson is shown with her mother, Darnell Donerson, after receiving a best supporting actress Oscar in 2007 for her role in 'Dreamgirls.'

    Gerard Burkhart, AFP/Getty Images

    Donerson, 57, was found dead in her home on the South Side of Chicago Friday afternoon along with Hudson's brother, Jason Hudson, 29.

William Balfour was arrested at Stateville Correctional Center and released to detectives as he awaited formal charges in the shooting deaths of the singer and Oscar-winning actress' relatives, said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.
The bodies of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were discovered Oct. 24 at the family's home on the South Side of Chicago. The body of 7-year-old Julian King was found three days later in a sport utility vehicle on the West Side. All three had been shot.
Police took Balfour into custody the same day the bodies of Donerson and Hudson were discovered. After 48 hours — the longest Chicago police can hold a person without charges — Balfour was taken by the Illinois Department of Corrections on the suspected parole violation.
Balfour — Julian's stepfather and the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's older sister, Julia Hudson — served seven years for a 1999 attempted murder and vehicular hijacking conviction.
His mother, Michelle Balfour of Chicago, has denied that her son had anything to do with the deaths. Telephone numbers for Balfour's mother and sister were disconnected Monday.
Balfour had refused to take a lie-detector test and stopped cooperating with detectives in the case, a police official, who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, has said.
Police have confirmed they found the gun used in the killings. The .45-caliber gun was discovered Oct. 29 in a vacant lot in the West Side neighborhood where the King's body was found a few days earlier.
Bond declined to discuss any evidence Monday. But after a hearing at the prison, the chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board said a woman had told authorities that a gun used in the slayings was "identical" to the gun that was recovered.
At the time, board Chairman Jorge Montes said the evidence was key to a decision finding probable cause that Balfour violated his parole and should remain locked up pending a Dec. 3 hearing before a review board panel.
Balfour did not have an attorney at the November hearing, and the Cook County public defender's office said at the time that nobody from the office had been assigned because he was not formally charged with a crime.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-12-01 18:06:31

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PopEater Snap Poll


GOOD READ?
1267 votes
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Grrene11

01:07 AMDec 03 2008

I THINK HE DESERVE A CHANCE IN COURT.BUT HE HIM OUT LISTEN TO HIS SIDE OF THE STORY.. THEN IF THE JURY THINKS HE GUILTY HE GUILTY HE DESERVE TO DO HIS TIME IN JAIL. HE I DON'T THINK HE SHOULD GET THE LETHAL INJECTION HE NEEDS TO DO THE REST OF HIS LIFE BEHIND A JAIL SAIL

AVG RATING:
(1)

Littlecj2703

11:01 PMDec 03 2008

TO lovemyogeddie,WHAT MAKE YOU THINK THAT WHERE THEY LIVE IS THE CAUSE OF WHAT HAPPEN? THEIR RESIDENT DIDN'T DO THAT. AND TO SAY SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER SISTER AGAIN, WHAT A HATEFUL STATEMENT. AGAIN HER HEART IS TORN UP TOO. SHE LOST SOMETHING THAT SHE BROUGHT INTO THIS WORLD. HER HEART HURTS TOO. SHE LOST HERMOTHER AND BROTHER TOO. AND WORST OF ALL HER OWN BABY. SHE DID NOT PULL THAT TRIGGER, AND THERE IS KNOW WAY THAT I BELIEVE THAT SHE WOULD EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, AND IT IS NO WAY HER FAULT THAT THIS FOOL WENT AND PULL THIS CRAZY *** ACT. STOP TRYING TO TURN THESE 2 SISTERS AGAINST EACH OTHER, THEY ONLY HAVE EACH OTHER AND THEY NEED ONE ANOTHER NOW AND FOREVER. GOD WILL WORK ON THEIR HEARTS TOGETHER, HE DID NOT BRING THEM THIS FAR AND PUT THEM THROUGH THIS BIG TEST ONLY TO LEAVE THEM. HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING!!! TRUST THAT!!!!!!

AVG RATING:
(1)

Littlecj2703

10:17 PMDec 03 2008

Yezzemboss, SINCE YOU SAY HES THE KIND OF DUDE YOU CAN HANG OUT WITH AND HAVE A FEW DRINKS AND THINGS WITH, I BET YOU GLAD YOU DID'NT TAKE HIM HOME TO YOUR FAMILY THAT DAY! YOU CAN HANG AROUND A PERSON AND STILL NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF. I HOPE HIS MOM JUST SHOWING FACE FOR THE CAMERA, BECAUSE I BELIEVE SOONER OR LATER SHE WILL HAVE TO COME TO FACE THE FACTS, HER SON WAS NO ANGEL BY FAR. I KNOW YOU WANT TO STAND BY YOUR KIDS, BUT SOMETIME YOU HAVE TO STEP BACK AND LOOK AT THE REAL PICTURE AND SAY SON PRAY TO GOD.BUT BEFORE SHE CAN DO THAT SHE WILL HAVE TO STOP LYING TO HERSELF. I WONDER WHAT DID HER AND HER DAUGHTER SAY 7 YEARS AGO, HE DIDN'T DO THAT EITHER (CARJACKING) I GUESS HE WAS AT ONE OF HIS 3 GIRLFRIENDS HOME THEN TOO!! MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIM WILL NOT HELP. YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO LOVE HIM FROM A DISTANCE. OR YOU WILL RUN YOURSELF TO A EARLY GRAVE, AND HE WILL STILL BE HERE DOING HIS THING.

AVG RATING:
(2)

Littlecj2703

09:31 PMDec 03 2008

I WOULD LIKE TO START OFF WITH LETS STICK TO THE STORY BEFORE US,RACE, OBAMA,POLITICS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. NOW FOR LSKillsta, YOUR COMMENT ON THE WAY TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP 20 ON THE NEXT AI SHOW WAS STRAIGHT UP SILLY. GO WATCH CARTOONS!!!!!!!!

AVG RATING:
(2)

Hattie54

03:08 PMDec 02 2008

Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer were white last time i checked and they committed these crimes ten times over so what does that make all whites serial killers! I am white and I feel all people make mistakes who are you to call someone out of their name and use a racial slur you honkey tonk redneck if he is the N word what are you hillbilly? you are an ignorant loser with hate in his bloodBundy and Dalmer were bright men but mentally ill.

AVG RATING:
(0)

Mshelly33

02:25 PMDec 02 2008

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!! Finally they charged this JERK!! Hope he rotts where ever he goes!!!

AVG RATING:
(3)

Momjlpe

12:29 PMDec 02 2008

If our judicial system weren't so broken, thugs like this would not be walking the steets to run amok! Bring back public executions and if they want to belong to a gang and prove their worth to a gang, bring back the chain-gangs!

AVG RATING:
(2)

Dawndawn7777

11:55 AMDec 02 2008

Anser to Roner 11: The problem is that the so called (courts) do not do their jobs, but often let the criminals go free because ...there are so many in jail now.We should do away with the prolonged death penalty and speed it up to the 6 months; preadventure the law had the wrong man or woman. Id bet all this crime would stop or at least slow down, and for all the other comments .there is no color for crime.

AVG RATING:
(3)

Mmmartinson6

11:46 AMDec 02 2008

O'TAY.

AVG RATING:
(2)

Sporting433

11:10 AMDec 02 2008

That is one ugly looking mofo! I say waterboard him, then shoot him in both kneecaps, then put him in a room with Jennifer Hudson's family. That cowardly piece of **** should not be breathing

AVG RATING:
(7)

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