An Illinois jury today (NZT) found the estranged brother-in-law of Grammy-and Oscar-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson guilty of murdering three members of her family in 2008.
William Balfour, 31, was found guilty of breaking into the Hudson family home and fatally shooting Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson, 57, her brother Jason Hudson, 29, and her 7-year-old nephew Julian King. He faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.
Jennifer Hudson, wearing a long black-and-white printed sweater, dabbed at her eyes after the verdict was read. She left without comment, and Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez spoke for her.
"She was very emotional about the verdict," Alvarez told reporters. "Very emotional, but very relieved."
Alvarez said Hudson would release a statement "at the appropriate time."
Hudson was determined to attend the 11-day trial of Balfour, her sister Julia's husband, telling Alvarez before the trial, "this was my mother. If it was me, she would be here every day. I will be here every day."
It was that close relationship to her mother, who would send her a text message every morning, that led Hudson to suspect something was wrong on the day of the murders. Her mother did not respond to Hudson's text, giving authorities a sense of what time the murders occurred, prosecutor James McKay said.
Jurors said Hudson's celebrity, and the accompanying media attention on the trial, played no part in their verdict.
"She's a celebrity. We understand that. But it wasn't about her," juror Tracie Austin said.
Jurors took three days to reach a verdict, with three of them undecided as they sifted through the circumstantial evidence implicating Balfour.
Balfour had sought to cover his tracks, changing his clothes three times, and enlisting friends to create an alibi. But a timeline of his whereabouts was built from cell phone records, security camera video and witness testimony.
His motive was jealousy of his estranged wife Julia Hudson, who he threatened numerous times, saying he would kill her after he killed her family, according to witnesses.
A small-time drug dealer, Balfour was armed with a .45 caliber handgun he had stolen from Jason Hudson, who also dealt drugs, witnesses said.
Defense attorneys raised the possibility that an enemy of Jason Hudson in the drug trade committed the murders.
Balfour sat stony-faced as the verdict was read, but one of his relatives shook her head angrily.
Balfour's defense attorney, Amy Thompson, who referred to her client as a "very stoic young man," said she planned to ask for a new trial on June 8 at a hearing for motions. She said she believed there were grounds for appeal.
Julia Hudson testified she wanted a divorce and blamed Balfour when her wages as a bus driver were garnished. After the two talked by cell phone on the morning of October 24, 2008, prosecutors alleged Balfour shot his way into the Hudson family home.
Julia Hudson's son, Julian, was taken outside and shot in Jason Hudson's sports utility vehicle, prosecutors charged.
Balfour got rid of the gun and abandoned the vehicle stolen from Jason Hudson. After an intensive search, Julian's body was discovered in the vehicle three days later.
Prosecutors relied on what they said was a "tsunami" of circumstantial evidence since they had no DNA or fingerprints directly linking Balfour to the slayings. No one alive witnessed the killings and the bodies were not discovered for hours.
Jennifer Hudson, who won a Grammy for her debut album and an Academy Award for her role in the movie Dreamgirls, flew home to identify the bodies.
She said she had known Balfour since grade school and had never liked him.