MOTIVE FLOATED IN J-HUD FAMILY KILLINGS: Prosecutors say Balfour murdered relatives because wife was dating another man; plus, bail denied.
(December 4, 2008)


*Bail was denied Wednesday for William Balfour, whom prosecutors believe murdered the family members of singer Jennifer Hudson out of anger over his estranged wife (Hudson's older sister Julia) dating another man.


At a hearing Wednesday, a Cook County prosecutor said Balfour came to the family's home the morning of the Oct. 24 killings and confronted Julia Hudson, saying he would "harm" her family if she continued seeing the other man.


The prosecutor says Balfour and Julia Hudson left together but Balfour returned to the home, and the bodies of Hudson's mother and brother were discovered there later that day. The body of Julia Hudson's 7-year-old son was found in an SUV three days later.


According to the Chicago Sun-Times, prosecutors also refuted a number of statements that Balfour made to police, among them:


• Balfour told detectives that he was home at the time of the shootings, but cell phone records showed he was in the vicinity of the Hudson family home.

• Balfour told police that after he had earlier been to the Hudson home to talk with his estranged wife, he had taken a CTA "L" train to his West Side home. But CTA card records show that Balfour had last used the card two days before. Also, Balfour had claimed to have used a particular "L" station, but surveillance cameras showed he had not been there.

• Balfour denied having a gun, but multiple witnesses said they saw him with one or heard him say he had one. The gun used in the slayings had belonged to Jason Hudson and Balfour had taken it without permission from Hudson's bedroom over the summer, prosecutors said.


Prosecutors also stated the previously undisclosed fact that gunshot residue was found on the steering wheel of Balfour's car, which, authorities said, he had driven that morning to the Hudson home and later moved after the murders.

Balfour's attorney, Joshua Kutnick, claims the 27-year-old is innocent and has called the prosecution's case against his client "weak."


Kutnick told Judge Raymond Myles Wednesday that there were no witnesses to the slayings and no connection between Balfour and the weapon that was believed to have been used in the shootings.

"Thus far it is my impression and William's impression that he has been painted as guilty in this case," Kutnick said. "And that is untrue and unfortunate. We implore the public to keep an open mind."

This man epitomizes this statement: "It ain't over til its over". Sorry to hear that they didn't or couldn't work it out, otherwise it wouldn't resort to this.
My condolence goes out to J-Hud and family.

the fact is that he said he was gonna do something, and his neighbors who know hes already had an attempted murder charge on him, did nothing, guess they were doing the whole no "snitching" shit, well see the results of no snitching, now you have to live with the thought of "maybe if i called a cop, or told someone"

lastdecember said:

Right on! The code of silence is so f*cked up, yet so many people believe in it. That kind of mentality baffles me.