October 25th, 2008
Jennifer Hudson’s Family Shooting Update
An update on the shooting deaths of Jennifer Hudson’s mom and brother.
Police have arrested a person of interest and he is in custody being questioned. His name is William Balfour. The missing boy Julian King (Jennifer Hudson’s nephew) has still not been found and the FBI is now assisting in the search for him. Balfour was married to Jennifer Hudson’s sister Julia for several years, but they were separated. Public records show that Balfour had listed as one of his residences the home where the shootings occurred.
Jennifer Hudson’s personal publicist, Lisa Kasteler, said the family has asked for privacy.
Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour who is 27 had been on parole after having spent nearly seven years in jail for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.
The timing of this tragedy comes when Jennifer’s career has been soaring and she will no longer be able to share it with her beloved mom and brother. Her song “Spotlight” is No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and she also just launched her self-tiled debut album which is also topping the charts. She had a role in this year’s hit “Sex and the City” movie and is also starring in the “The Secret Life of Bees.”
She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in “Dreamgirls.” In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson gave her mom all the credit for insisting she try out and audition for “American Idol,” which launched her career.
