Suspect Allegedly Threatened Hudson's Family
Prosecutors say William Balfour threatened his estranged wife and her family.
Dec. 3, 2008— -- The man accused of killing three of singer and actress Jennifer Hudson's family members was angry that the singer's sister, his estranged wife, was dating another man, prosecutors said Wednesday.
William Balfour confronted Julia Hudson on the morning of the murders and warned her about having a relationship with another man after he saw a present in her house that he thought was a gift from a boyfriend, prosecutors said.
Earlier that month, Balfour had allegedly threatened to harm Julia Hudson's family if she did not stop seeing another man.
Balfour, 27, was ordered held without bail Wednesday on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion. He and Julia Hudson, Jennifer Hudson's sister, separated in February 2008 but remained in touch.
Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson, were found shot to death Oct. 24 inside the home they shared with Julia Hudson on Chicago's South Side. Julia Hudson's seven-year-old son, Julian King, was found dead, covered in a shower curtain, three days later in the back of Jason Hudson's SUV. Police believe Balfour took King from the Hudson home and shot him in the head.
Balfour's attorney, Joshua Kutnick, said Balfour denied the killings and called him a "victim of circumstance."
"William Balfour has not confessed, there's no eyewitness and no physical evidence," he said.
"We are very confident that once the evidence actually comes out he will be found not guilty."
But prosecutor LuAnn Snow said at a bail hearing Wednesday that Balfour admitted to a girlfriend that he had killed Donerson and Hudson. Prosecutors also claim gun shot residue was found on Balfour's steering wheel.
The gun used in the killings belonged to Jason Hudson; Balfour allegedly took the gun from Hudson over the summer, prosecutors said.
Balfour had stopped by the Hudson home on the morning of the murders and he and Julia Hudson allegedly left the house together. Hudson drove away as she saw Balfour walking toward his car. But Balfour's car broke down and two acquaintances gave him a ride to a gas station, Snow said.
