Home > American Idol > Archives > 2008 > December > 03 > Entry
Jealousy led to slayings, prosecutor says
A motive has surfaced in the slayings of three members of Jennifer Hudson’s family.
Prosecutors alleged in court today that suspect William Balfour, who is being held without bail, was upset his estranged wife, Jennifer’s sister, was seeing another man.
The ex-con had allegedly confronted Julia Hudson on several occasions. On the day Jennifer’s mom, brother and nephew were murdered, he had stopped by the Hudsons’ home to confront Julia about a birthday present she’d received, possibly from an admirer.
“He told her at the time that her family would suffer if she saw other men,” said prosecutor LuAnn Snow.
Court documents released today shed new light on the crimes. The murder weapon, a .45-caliber gun recovered in a field last month, was apparently stolen from Jennifer’s brother, Jason Hudson.
The paperwork also lays out a timeline for the events of Oct. 24:
“Defendant … entered the home at 7019 S. Yale at gunpoint. He shot Darnell Donerson several times while she was in the living room area. He then went into Jason Hudson’s bedroom and shot him two times in the head.”
The singer’s nephew was then taken from the home, records show, and placed into Jason’s SUV.
“Defendant shot Julian King in the head while the 7-year-old was laying behind the front seat of the Suburban.”
Defense attorneys, however, claim a key witness, their client’s girlfriend, is “highly suspect.”
“There is no direct evidence of Mr. Balfour committing these crimes,” Joshua Kutnick told reporters.
Comments
Click here to report comment abuse.