After a Chicago jury found William Balfour guilty of killing the mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew of Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson yesterday, the Hudson family released a statement through Jennifer’s website that thanked God, their supporters, the police, prosecutors and all the people who worked on the case.
“We want to extend a prayer from the Hudson family to the Balfour family. We have all suffered terrible loss in this tragedy,” the statement said. “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them (2 Corinthian 4:3-4),” it continued. “It is our prayer that the Lord will forgive Mr. Balfour of these heinous acts and bring his heart into repentance someday.”
Balfour, the former brother-in-law of Hudson, showed no emotion after the verdict was read and now faces a mandatory life prison sentence. Since there were no surviving witnesses to the October 2008 crime, the prosecution went about building a circumstantial case against Balfour by calling 83 witnesses to corroborate that he threatened to kill the entire family if Julia Hudson left him.
Witnesses also said that Balfour stalked the house constantly after moving out in early 2008 due to a dispute with his then wife Julia. Prosecutors believe his killing spree was triggered when he saw a gift from her new boyfriend.
“We have the best police department and they have been with us every step of the way,” the Hudson family statement continued. “We thank all of the State’s witnesses who came forward on our behalf. We have felt the love and support from people all over the world and we’re very grateful.”
