Celebrity Mound

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.

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.

Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a “person of interest” in the investigation. He had not been charged by late Monday afternoon, said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

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.

No one in the public defender’s office was assigned to Balfour’s case late Monday, and it’ was not clear whether he had other representation.

The man police have called a suspect in the murder of actress Jennifer Hudson’s family finds out Monday whether he’ll remain in prison for violating his parole or go free while investigators continue to investigate the triple slaying.

William Balfour, 27, was on parole for a 1999 attempted murder conviction when linked to the Oct. 24 murders of his estranged wife’s brother, mother and 7-year-old son. He has not been charged in the case, but his parole was revoked and he was returned to prison after 48 hours of questioning by Chicago detectives.

Balfour, who is married to the Oscar-winning actress’ sister, Julia Hudson, has been held at Stateville Correctional Center on the outskirts of Joliet since Oct. 26.

Monday at 9 a.m. he will have a hearing at Stateville before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, which will determine whether evidence in the case constitutes a violation of Balfour’s parole for the 1999 conviction, state officials said.

A state investigator will present evidence to the board at the preliminary hearing, which Balfour will have a chance to rebut before a decision is made, said Kenneth Tupy, attorney for the review board. If the board finds probable cause to believe Balfour has committed a crime, or violated his parole in some other manner, he’ll be held for further hearings.

If the board finds that Balfour has not violated his parole, he could be set free Monday.

Balfour acknowledged being at the Hudson’s Englewood home on the morning that the actress’ mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson, were gunned down inside the house, law enforcement sources said. Julia Hudson’s son, Julian, was abducted from the home and his body discovered three days later, shot twice in the head and slumped in the back of Jason Hudson’s Chevy Suburban on a West Side street.

Balfour’s current girlfriend also told police that he told her he had been involved in the killings of Donerson and Hudson, sources said.

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Hundreds of mourners attended a private funeral service for Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson’s slain mother, brother and nephew Monday at a South Side church.

A composed Hudson paused before the bodies of her relatives before giving her mother a final kiss, said attendees of the invitation-only service.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and the Rev. Jesse Jackson were among those who spoke at the three-hour service for Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, Jason Hudson, 29, and Julian King, 7.

The three were found shot to death late last month, the adults in Donerson’s home and Julian in a vehicle found several miles away. Julian is the son of Jennifer Hudson’s older sister, Julia Hudson.

No one has been charged in the shootings, although authorities have called Julia Hudson’s estranged husband, 27-year-old William Balfour, a “person of interest.” He remains in custody on a parole violation.

During the service, “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino sang the gospel song “Your Grace and Mercy,” and at one point left the stage to take Jennifer Hudson’s hand and sing directly to her, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Small blue tickets that read “Hudson Family Funeral” were needed to enter the massive Apostolic Church of God, but that didn’t deter crowds of onlookers who gathered outside.

Glover Lewis, who lives in the same South Side neighborhood as the Hudson family, attended the services and told the Tribune he was touched by the way Hudson bid her family members goodbye.

“Jennifer is the pillar,” Lewis said. “It’s obvious she’s holding the family together.”

Shenika Bowers, 35, of Chicago was one of several dozen people who stood outside the church in hopes of sharing sympathies with the singer-actress.

“She needs us right now,” Bowers said of Hudson. “She needs support from everyone who she can get it from. I cannot imagine how she feels but I do feel for her.”

Latosha Funches, 33, of Chicago, said she’s been a Hudson fan since the singer was on “American Idol” and wanted to pass along her condolences.

“I have kids of my own too,” said Funches, who pushed her 11-month-old son in a stroller. “I know how she feels. I just hope she can get through it. She looks like she’s very strong.”

Jennifer Hudson was a finalist in the 2004 season of “American Idol” and she won her Oscar in 2007 for her film debut, a supporting role in “Dreamgirls.”

Monday’s services followed a public memorial held Sunday at Pleasant Gift Memorial Baptist Church, where Hudson sang in her childhood.

The bodies of Donerson and Jason Hudson were discovered Oct. 24 at the family’s home. Julian’s body was found three days later in a sport utility vehicle on the city’s West Side.

Police arrested Balfour 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 a parole violation.

Balfour had 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.

Hundreds of friends and relatives gathered to mourn the deaths of Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew, at Pleasant Gift Memorial Baptist Church on Chicago’s South Side on Sunday.

At the public memorial, mourners listened to songs and recounted stories about Darnell Donerson, 57, Jason Hudson, 29, and Julian King, who were fatally shot last month.

Jennifer and her sister Julia Hudson were not in attendance.

Shari Sweat, a cousin of Donerson, spoke about how important the upcoming election was to her, the Associated Press reported.

“Doll refused to be left out of this historical moment in this nation, and before she left these shores she cast her vote,” Sweat said.

Julian’s second-grade teacher, Carmen Williams of Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy, read from journals of his classmates, the AP reported.

“Julian was smart. I’m sad he didn’t get to be president of the United States,” Williams read.

Reverend Quentin Washington recalled being in the children’s choir at the church with Hudson’s brother, Jason.

“We had fun at church,” he said, according to the The Chicago Tribune.

Sean Howard, executive assistant to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, said he was with the Hudson family when they went to the medical examiner’s office last week to identify Julian’s body, the AP reported.

“When Jennifer and her family walked in, Jennifer was a pillar in that room,” Howard said. “You have a true leader in your family in Jennifer.”

William Balfour, Julia’s ex husband, is being held as a “person of interest” in the case. Chicago Police say the murders are “domestic-related.”

The newest issue of Us Weekly reports that Hudson family members didn’t take Balfour’s threats seriously.

Jennifer and her sister also created the Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims in the wake of the tragic deaths, according to a statement from Jennifer’s rep.

The foundation will provide care for the families who have lost relatives to a violent crime, including giving food, clothing, shelter and grief counseling.

Donations can be sent to:

Hudson-King Foundation:
c/o Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, LLP
Attn: William L. Abrams, Esq.
237 West 35th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10001

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