[UPDATED 4:57 PM]
Arrow points to a bullet hole in the front door of the home owned by Jennifer Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson who was found shot to death yesterday. Police say the assailant fired through the door hitting Hudson’s brother Jason Hudson, 29 (inset). Donerson was shot when she entered the living room after hearing the shot. Police found Jason’s body in a bedroom. An autopsy completed today showed defensive wounds on his body. Hudson’s brother-in-law William Balfour, 27, is in police custody but he has not been charged in the murders. Jennifer Hudson visited the morgue overnight with family members to identify her mother and her brother. Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew Julian King is still missing. The FBI has been called in to help in the search for Julian. (Source)
[UPDATED 11:00 AM]
The body of Jennifer Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson was found by Jennifer Hudson’s sister Julia around 2:45 PM yesterday. Julia called 911 to report the shooting. She also reported her 7-year-old son missing. Police arriving on the scene found Hudson’s brother Jason shot to death in a bedroom. An Amber Alert issued for little Julian King is still in effect. Anyone who has seen a white Chevy Suburban with Illinois license plate X584859 is asked to call Chicago police immediately. (Source)
The suspect in the slayings of actress Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother is now in custody.
Police arrested William Balfour, 27, last night in Chicago. Balfour’s mother, Michelle, said her son had been married to Hudson’s sister, Julia, 29, for several years, but they were separated. She also said Donerson had ordered him to move out of the family’s home last winter.
A relative found the body of Darnell Donerson, 57, lying on her living room floor around 2:45 PM yesterday. Police arriving on the scene found the body of Jason Hudson, 27, in a bedroom of the home he shared with his mother. Both victims had been shot multiple times. The front door was unlocked.
Police made several arrests last night but no one has been charged in the case according to law enforcement sources who spoke to the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said investigators were talking to “a number of people in custody” but she declined to elaborate.
The whereabouts of Julia Hudson’s 7-year-old son, Julian King, is still unknown. An Amber Alert was issued for Julian yesterday. The boy was initially thought to be Balfour’s son, but Balfour was incarcerated during the time Julian was conceived.
Balfour was convicted and sentenced to 7 years in prison for attempted murder and car jacking in 1999. He was paroled in 2006. Julian was born in 2001.
Published reports indicated William may have stolen Julia’s car in recent weeks and was barred from the family home as a result. In a caption posted under a photo of her brother Jason, Julia noted that Jason was picking her up from her job where she worked as a school bus driver because, “William bitch ass sold my car.”
Paul Ciliano, a former Chicago police officer and CBS News consultant, said the Englewood neighborhood where the crimes were committed is “probably the toughest neighborhood in the city of Chicago.
“This is notoriously violent area, the most shootings and car hijackings and tough-and-rumble place on the South Side of Chicago,” he told Early Show anchor Priya David.
Members at the church where the tight-knit family worshiped said Jennifer Hudson offered to move her mother out of the area, but Donnerson refused to leave.
“These are such difficult times,” said the family’s pastor, Rev. Willie R. Davis, of the Progressive Baptist Church. “To lose a mother and a brother at one time — and then to lose them under these circumstances would be difficult for anyone. We just have to wait until the opportunity permits that we can sit down with them and have prayer. Jennifer is a very strong lady. She is deep-rooted in her faith. We know that through it all, she will get through.”
CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports that Hudson returned to Chicago last night after news of the deaths. But her sister Julia was still accepting friend requests on her Myspace page as recently as this morning. She is said to be “numb”.
Hudson recently announced her engagement to David Otunga, best known for his stint on VH1’s reality show “I Love New York.”
The star is asking for privacy in her time of grief. Her Web site jenniferhudsononline.com is already filled with condolence notes.
I will update this post throughout the day.
7-year-old Julian King is still missing
Jennifer Hudson, left, poses with her brother Jason, sister Julia, and half sister Dinah, far right
Jennifer, right, with brother-in-law William Balfour, who is suspected of killing her mother and brother
William Balfour in an undated photo
All photos: Myspace.com
Lord forgive me for hoping this man is brutally gang raped in prison on a daily basis. That top picture makes me want to strangle him myself. Fake a$$ thug getting all homotional over a woman who doesn’t want his murderous a$$ anymore. How could he be so unrepentant that he would take that child and still refuse to tell where he is after he is caught? I’m so pissed right now.
God bless Jennifer’s family at this difficult time.
Lord forgive ME, but the next medical minute should be about… nevermind. Too soon I guess.
Based on reports I’ve read they have picked up this dude, but he has not been charged with the murders. Someone has logged on to Jennifer’s sister Julia’s MySpace page today yet there are still pics of this dude in her albums with loving captions. I’m starting to wonder if this guy actually did anything. Sure she didn’t take down the pics with loving captions after the negro stole and sold her car not too long ago, but I’d like to think if he killed her mother and brother and kidnapped her child she would take them down or at least change the captions to something like “here is the low down murderer”. I can’t wait to get the real story about his involvement or lack thereof since I have been wishing for the man’s brutal sexual assault and all.
@ Bird…
Yeah something just doesn’t sounds right. I’m not even sure why she is on the internet in the first place. I would not be able to function is my mom and brother were killed and my son is still missing. I probably would have to be heavily sedated because I would be hysterical. I pray they find this little boy unharmed, but as more time past it only looks worse.
My prayers are in full effect. I hope that little boy is found ASAP, healthy and unharmed…As far as her being on myspace, people handle things differently, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to cope…No on knows if she is the person on her page anyway…
On the flipside, there is definitely some interesting stuff on her page…I won’t comment or speculate until more details are released…
This is so schocking and sad…my condolensces to the families and Jennifer.
Bird Says:
Based on reports I’ve read they have picked up this dude, but he has not been charged with the murders. Someone has logged on to Jennifer’s sister Julia’s MySpace page today yet there are still pics of this dude in her albums with loving captions. I’m starting to wonder if this guy actually did anything. Sure she didn’t take down the pics with loving captions after the negro stole and sold her car not too long ago, but I’d like to think if he killed her mother and brother and kidnapped her child she would take them down or at least change the captions to something like “here is the low down murderer”. I can’t wait to get the real story about his involvement or lack thereof since I have been wishing for the man’s brutal sexual assault and all.
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i doubt she updates her myspace
This is indeed a sad story. I just went to her myspace page. I thought it would be private but it’s not. It seems wierd to me that the page is still up and running. This is a horrible situation right now, the last thing I will be doing is on line adding people and thanking them for support. I’m sorry, it just seemed wierd. I almost feel like she is seeking attention and finally getting it, but I am careful not to be negative. Regardless of what I think, this is a horrible time for the family and I can only say a prayer. I feel so bad for Jennifer Hudson. It’s awful.
I went to the page also. However what we find strange she may find as way to cope. Maybe she is in denial and it all hasn’t hit her yet. I just pray they find her son.
Yeah I can understand that. I just hate that the press are pulling all of their pictures from there. Every caption, every word is being pulled.. the privacy that can be there is gone..
But her sister Julia was still accepting friend requests on her Myspace page as recently as this morning. She is said to be “numb”.
lol good ol myspace
when my mom died i poured my heart out on myspace in a blog, sometimes it helps, it helped me
If this Slug-AZZ-Nicca is the ONE who did this crime…
Then finding him hung-in-his-Cell wouldn’t bother me at all BECAUSE those are the type of individuals who DESERVE that kind of treatment (demise)
Stay STRONG J-Hud & The Chi Loves You Baby-Gurl !!!
On her friends list…FLEX…that’s the husband. Only one comment someone saying they hope he didn’t kill them. Last logged in in June…was in jail I see. Maybe he came out for revenge!
I went on Julia’s page and Jason’s today as well. So very sad. As for Julia being on Myspace today, I agree with everyone who said people handle things differently. I always said when my dad died, I would lose it and probably have to be put in a crazy house. However, I did just the opposite. My dad died on a Sunday and I went to work the next day on Monday. Coworkers could not understand why I was there, but I knew I had to be around people because if I had been @ home alone all day, I would have lost it. So you never know. I dont think it has hit any of them..that explains her mood of “numb”.
FYI, William has 2 Myspace pages…the fool probably forgot his password and made another page. The last login for FLEX was in June. If you type in his entire name, the second one comes up as well.
this all is becoming far too common-i hate to admit it but i fear black men, their state of mind, and their ill will towards our community, no it’s not all black men but got dammit it sure seems like a majority of these crimes are committed by them-now if it walks like a duck and talks like a damn duck it’s a duck! If a black man is not a family member or close family friend I will assume he’s dangerous unless he proves otherwise
you can’t date anymore, have anyone around your kids, these mofos feelings are so damn sensitive they can’t even take rejection, so they kill you and everyone close to you
so much violence and for senseless reasons-i swear i go to work, church, my parent’s house, walmart (which can be risky) and home. Just the other day @ 12 two separate incidents involving black men shooting in broad daylight at one another- kids where out and about cars driving buy etc. these dummies could haved easily shot an innocent bystander it’s not as if they are sharp shooters or have any training their just a bunch of dummies busting shots mimicking images they’ve seen in a movie-nobody cares and i’m certain someone will try and preach to me about what i’ve said, but I don’t care I’m so sick and tired of making excuses for the obvious you have a bunch of fatherless, angry, kneegroes who don’t give a damn about themselves and care even less about the women & children in their community-& they prove my point everyday when we are constantly hearing stories of senseless, tragic, murders like these all committed by the hands of a black man.
my condolences to jennifer hudson and her family-may God give her courage and strength during this very trying and disturbing time.
@intensemocha
As far as the “try and preach to me”…
All I’ll say is these AREN’T black men, THEY ARE Idiots & FOOLS who happen to be Black Males (NOT BLACK MEN…)
And the fatherless thing is obvious ALONG with the crack epidemic… ALOT of these Clowns ARE former crack-babies and the REST are Mindless-n-Uneducated, No Morals-Having & No Home-training along with No F-ing Common Sense AT ALL Reared-Individuals!!!
So I Pretty-Much agree with everything you just stated