Jennifer Hudson Verdict: William Balfour Guilty On All Counts

Becky Bain | May 11, 2012 3:45 pm

Jennifer Hudson will hopefully find some closure today. A jury has found her brother-in-law William Balfour guilty of murdering the singer’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in 2008. Balfour, who was married to Jennifer’s sister Julia, was found guilty on all counts, including three counts of first-degree murder. He was also found guilty of home invasion, residential burglary, aggravated kidnapping and possession of a stolen vehicle. He faces life in prison.

On October 24, 2008, Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson and her brother Jason Hudson were shot to death in their family home in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. Jennifer’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was kidnapped and shot while in an SUV.

While the defense argued no physical evidence or DNA linked Balfour to the murders, prosecutors presented the “overwhelming circumstantial evidence”, which included gun residue on Balfour’s clothing and cell phone records that placed him near the scene of the crime. He was also quoted as saying to his estranged wife, “If you leave me, I will kill you. I will kill your family first. You will be the last to die.”

Hudson, who took the stand to testify against Balfour in April, was in the courtroom at the time the verdict was read, sitting beside her fiance David Otunga, her sister Julia and other family members.

[Via E! Online, ABC News]