Jennifer Hudson's family murder trial date set

(CBS/AP) CHICAGO - A judge says it's time for the man charged in the slayings of three members of Jennifer Hudson's family to face a jury.

On Thursday, jury selection was scheduled for April 9 in the trial of William Balfour. Balfour is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 24, 2008 slayings of Hudson's mother, brother and nephew.

The singer-actress recently credited her finace, David Otunga, with inadvertently keeping her away from Chicago that day.

"That's one of the things that saved my life, because I could have been home with my mom then," Hudson said in an interview with Ebony. "[Otunga] wanted me to come out to Florida with him instead of going to Chicago."

Hudson added, "I flew out to see him; that's why I'm still here. I've never said that before, and I can't believe I just said that now. But I didn't know. He was just like, 'I'm going to this wrestling thing, and it's in Tampa. I'm going out there now, so you can come out there and see me versus going home.'"

Otunga, a lawyer and pro-wrestler, is also the father of Hudson's 2-year-old son, David Jr.

Balfour was the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia. Prosecutors allege he shot her family in a jealous rage because Julia Hudson was dating another man.

Last week, Hudson released her book, "I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down."

Hudson, who first earned fame as an "American Idol" finalist, won a Grammy for her self-titled album and a supporting actress Oscar for her role in "Dreamgirls."