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Jennifer Hudson’s former brother-in-law William Balfour, who was convicted of killing her mother, brother and nephew, has spoken out for the first time since he was sentenced to life in prison in 2012.

In an interview with ABC7 from Pontiac Correctional Center, Balfour has claimed evidence from the murder was planted in a conspiracy to put him behind bars. He also believes the real killer is still walking the streets and plans to bring them to justice. In 2008, the critically acclaimed entertainer’s 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donerson; her 29-year-old brother, Jason Hudson; and her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King were found dead.The adults were found in their Chicago home and Julian’s body was found in a stolen car; the keys were later found in Balfour’s pocket, three days later.

Balfour was arrested the day of the murders and never testified in his own defense. The 34-year-old says it’s up to the public to believe him.

via ABC7:

“If you didn’t kill Jennifer Hudson’s family, who did?” ABC7’s Chuck Goudie asked. “I don’t know,” Balfour said. “I can sit here and speculate the many names and just throw them out there to you, it still wouldn’t solve it, period. I didn’t have nothing to do with her family being killed. Period.”

“I mean it’s up to them to make sense out of it. Because if you make a statement and the statement don’t add up to the way the murders happen – then it’s a problem. That’s reasonable doubt.”

Witnesses who testified in the two-day trial claimed he would threaten Hudson’s sister Julia, who was also his ex-wife. He also bragged about his plans to murder her family, but Balfour called the threats allegations. He also accused his then-wife of lying on the stand.

Balfour was considered a career criminal by court standards. He began gang activity at the age of 14 and was arrested for burglaries, car jackings, and drug dealing. In 2015, his appeal was swiftly denied with the Illinois court claiming there was “plentiful evidence” to support the guilty verdict. The U.S. Supreme Court also refused to take his case.

The Oscar winner opened up about the case last year with Glamour Magazine.

via Glamour:

What helped her through it? Giving birth a year later to her son, David, was the best therapy, she says, if bittersweet. “I went from being an aunt, having a mom, and being a child to not having a mom, becoming a mom, and raising my own child,” she says. “I tell David [now six] all the time, ‘You saved my life.’ ” After he was born, she and fiancé David Otunga moved from Florida back to Chicago—it’s the place she will always call home. “Here I get to take off Little Miss Celebrity and be normal, let my feet touch the ground,” she says. “I feel like it keeps me me.”

 

The Cook County State’s Attorney and the Chicago Police department have released statements supporting the guilty conviction of Balfour. A spokesperson for the state attorney called the evidence “overwhelming.”

SOURCE: ABC7 | VIDEO CREDIT: Inform 

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Man Convicted Of Killing Jennifer Hudson’s Family Calls Case A Conspiracy  was originally published on newsone.com

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.