A prosecutor is expected to tell the jury on Monday that a gift of balloons is what sent William Balfour, singer Jennifer Hudson’s former brother-in-law, into such a jealous rage that he shot and killed Hudson’s 57-year-old mother, 29-year-old brother, and 7-year-old nephew in a horrific act of vindictiveness in the home where the Hollywood star grew up. Balfour is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the October 24, 2008, murders that generated nationwide headlines because of Hudson’s celebrity status.
Balfour reportedly believed that balloons he saw at the Hudson home on the morning of the slayings came from a new boyfriend of Hudson’s sister, Julia Hudson. After Julia Hudson drove away for her job as a school bus driver, Balfour went back into the home around 9 a.m. and used a .45-caliber handgun to kill Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, in the living room, then shot her brother, Jason Hudson, twice in the head as he lay in bed. He then proceeded to kidnapping Julia Hudson’s son, Julian King, with Jason Hudson’s SUV. After a three-day search, authorities found the 7-year-old’s body in the abandoned vehicle miles away and say that he was shot in the head as he lay behind a front seat. It is unclear if Hudson will testify, but she is expected to attend each day of testimony. Judge Charles Burns has required the jury to set aside any sympathy for Hudson and decide a verdict strictly according to testimony. The jurors include a teacher, a trucker, and two people who have had close relatives murdered.
