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Legal
Man accused of killing Jennifer Hudson’s family members found guilty
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 14 May 2012
William Balfour was found guilty on Friday of killing three family members of singer and actress Jennifer Hudson back in 2008.
As previously reported, Balfour, who had been married to Hudson’s sister Julia, shot dead the singer’s mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason, seemingly after seeing balloons outside the Hudson family home, and believing them to be from his estranged wife’s new boyfriend. He then abducted and later killed the singer’s seven year old nephew.
Testifying at the start of Balfour’s trial last month, Hudson told the court: “None of us wanted [my sister] to marry him. We didn’t like how he treated her and I did not like how he treated my nephew”.
Balfour, a small time drug dealer, now faces life imprisonment without the chance of parole in relation to the killings. He denied being responsible for the murders, with his defence reps proposing that a rival drug dealer had committed the crimes and framed their client. The jury spent three days deliberating, with three members uncertain of the defendant’s guilt, though enough were convinced he committed the crime. Nevertheless, one of Balfour’s lawyers, Amy Thompson, has already said she intends the apply for an appeal hearing.
Responding to the guilty verdict, a joint statement from Jennifer and Julia Hudson said: “We have felt the love and support from people all over the world and we’re very grateful. We want to extend a prayer from the Hudson family to the Balfour family. We have all suffered terrible loss in this tragedy”.
