Jennifer Hudson is on the prosecution witness list to testify against her sister’s estranged husband, William Balfour, in the 2008 triple slayings of her mother, brother, and nephew according to court records.
Last week, prosecutors filed detectives’ reports from Hudson’s 2008 interviews about the deaths of her family members. And according to those filings, Hudson acknowledged knowing Balfour since childhood because their families lived near one another. The Oscar winner also revealed that she had forewarned her sister, Julia Hudson, against dating, marrying William because of his past criminal history and the mistreatment of her (Julia).
She went on to say that the eerie feeling on the morning of October 24, 2008 was because she couldn’t reach her mother when she phoned her. The two talked every morning and not getting an answer was alarming.
It was later revealed that police discovered her mother Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, and older brother Jason, 29, shot to death at the family’s home in Chicago while Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King was missing. After three days of being unaccounted for and a $100,000 reward (by Jennifer) presented for his whereabouts, the child lifeless body was found in a vehicle on the city’s west side.
The Chicago Tribune reported Hudson immediately got on a plane from Miami upon hearing about the shootings, met with police shortly after she landed and helped identify the bodies.
Because of Balfour’s criminal history, “numerous occasions” of threats to his estranged wife (which could imply motive), and cell phone records indicating he was in the vicinity where the shootings took place, he was the prime suspect and arrested for the triple slayings.
The trial is set to begin April 9, but witnesses aren’t expected to take the stand until about two weeks later.
