Hudson Murder Suspect Had June Drug Arrest

Man Suspected In Slayings Of Singer's 3 Relatives Was Spared Return To Jail Despite Parole Violation

(CBS/AP)  The convicted felon suspected in the Chicago slayings of Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew was arrested on a drug charge in June, but authorities declined to return him to prison on a parole violation, internal parole records show.

Corrections Department spokesman Derek Schnapp said officials who reviewed the cocaine-possession case against William Balfour determined "the evidence that was presented during that time wouldn't have necessarily warranted a violation."

A judge dismissed the charge for lack of probable cause in July, but under the strict rules of the state's parole program, Balfour could have gone back to prison just for the arrest.

No one has been charged in the shooting deaths of Hudson's mother, 57-year-old Darnell Donerson, her brother, 29-year-old Jason Hudson, and 7-year-old nephew Julian King.

The older victims were found in the family's home Friday afternoon. Julian's body was found in the back of an SUV on Chicago's West Side on Monday; authorities declared his death a homicide Tuesday.

Around the time the first bodies were found, Balfour's parole agent had reached him by phone after Balfour missed a meeting with him that day. Balfour told the agent he was "baby-sitting on the West Side of Chicago," according to the documents, obtained by The Associated Press.

The agent said he thought he heard a child in the background during the call. Balfour was taken into custody later Friday.

Balfour, Julian's stepfather and the estranged husband of Hudson's sister, served seven years for attempted murder and vehicular hijacking.

The Illinois Department of Corrections issued a warrant for Balfour on Saturday for violating terms of his parole by possessing a weapon and failing to attend anger management counseling and a substance abuse program, according to his parole history report.

The records indicate a parole supervisor declined to issue a warrant to revoke Balfour's parole after Chicago police arrested him June 19 for possession of cocaine.

"Per supervisor ... no warrant," the report reads. "Agent to monitor offender, impose sanctions."

Criminal charges can send parolees back to prison and keep them there even if the counts are ultimately dropped. A board that reviews such cases after parolees are sent back to prison relies on a preponderance of the evidence, a lower standard than in court. The board considers the violence of the original crime, the parole agent's recommendation, the arrest report, the parolee's adjustment and his attitude during a follow-up interview in prison, among other things.

In Balfour's case, a violation could have sent him back behind bars for a period as long as the remainder of his parole - until May 2009 - minus a day off for each day of good behavior. That would have meant a release date in mid-December at the earliest.

The parole history report on Balfour also shows that a woman at Balfour's home refused to open the door during an agent's visit on Aug. 27. The woman told the agent during the 8:30 a.m. visit that Balfour was at work but Balfour's boss told the agent he wasn't due until noon.

"Agent heard other people inside the host site and suspected maybe suspicious activities going on," the report said. "Agent will be following up for a possible warrant on parolee."

There's no warrant mentioned in following days on the report, which does note, however, that Balfour passed a drug test.

Schnapp, the corrections spokesman, said the evidence again wasn't sufficient to warrant revoking parole.

Meanwhile, Chicago authorities say the 7-year-old nephew of Hudson died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Cook County spokesman Sean Howard tells The Associated Press that in Tuesday's autopsy the county's medical examiner ruled Julian King's death a homicide.

Howard declined to say where the child suffered wounds or how long he had been dead, citing an ongoing Chicago police investigation.

CBS Early Show legal analyst Lisa Bloom said Julian's time of death may show whether the three killings were crimes of passion or premeditated.

Julian's body was found Monday in a white SUV, three days after the bodies of Hudson's mother and brother were discovered in their home on the city's South Side.

An Amber Alert was issued for Julian on Friday.

[Cas2dy]

IVE BEEN WRONG MANY TIMES IN MY LIFE AND WILL BE AGAIN IM SURE. BUT I HAVE A GUT FEELING THIS MAN DIDNT DO THE KILLINGS I SAY IT WAS A KIDNAPPING GONE BAD.

Posted by tootall1014 at 09:41 AM : Oct 30, 2008

He may or may not have "done" the killings, but I bet a dollar to a donut that he had an enourmous hand in this whole thing.

Jennifer Hudson literally dodged a bullet. I know she loves her family but if it were not for her talent and good luck, she may have suffered the same fate. She is SO fortunate that her success took her away from that home!


Posted by Cricketmk3 at 09:55 AM : Oct 30, 2008

This probably has something to do with the very fact that Jennifer did find fame outside the hood. This guy probably felt that he could use her sister for whatever heartfelt gifts and monetary support Jennifer sent home to the family. When he realized that the flow wasn''t going to continue in his favor after they saw what a user and thief he was, he got mad and tried to off everybody...the child more than likely because he could bear eyewitness to the original two killings PLUS to hurt the mother of the child for no longer bending to his sorry azz will.

[cricketmk3]

Does anyone know where Julia Hudson was at the time of the murders and what the domestic-related problem was? I can''t imagine why a mother would think that an ex-convict would be a suitable step-father (I use that term loosely) to their child. Sounds like Julia Hudson had some serious issues as well.

[cricketmk3]

Jennifer Hudson literally dodged a bullet. I know she loves her family but if it were not for her talent and good luck, she may have suffered the same fate. She is SO fortunate that her success took her away from that home!

[rrozsa-2009]

johnedwards6 -- you obviously didn''t get the poster''s sarcasm.

[johnedwards6]

"The inventor of the TV also carries some blame. People wouldn''''t be famous without TV."


That is the dumbest thing i have heard all day.

[nokids4me]

Seems like the media never wants to identify and crucify the people who make the decisions for letting dirtbags back out on the street. Why don''t we have the names and pictures of the incompetents who are responsible???

[Cas2dy]

Credibility2:
Why would any rational or intelligent individual get involved with, let alone marry a felon ex-con with such a violent history and criminal record? Did they think they could rehabilitate them? Were they a sweet talking fool that charmed the you know what right off of them? Was the intimacy that great or was the person seeking it that desperate? Either way, look what someone''''''''s misguided foolish choices has led to for this poor innocent family and its three victims.

See, the point is that there was no rational thinking being done on the part of the one who took to him so thickly as to expose him to her won child. She had to be feeling wworthless or at least suffered from very low to zero self esteem to take up with him to begin with. I know many women like this, my brother sees large women with few prospects in their lives regularly(another no good bum, but just a leech, not ever violent, he let''s all his siblings talk to him like he''s nothing because it''s easier to whine and beg from them then and still sit around doing nothing cuz no one really expects him to.) from the look of her sister, even though J-Hud is doing well, she herself just might not have felt that decent men were going to look her way so she just settled for whoever did.

[garys21121]

Hey, A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
www.garyinthemorning.com

[misssuzq]

OK, bcq01, learn grammar and spelling, please, so people will read your entire comment.

[bcq01]

i mean he want learn his lesson if the judge let he off that easy

[bcq01]

what i really think that he need 2 be lock up. Really bcuz the *** he did is wrong in not call for he will not learn his lesson if the judge just let him off that easy.Then for jennifer hudson i know she crying her everyday knowing that she just lost her mother and a wonderful brother, also a nephew that she loved with all her heart. im praying for you n wishing they put his *** where he suppose 2 be rite now for killing three innocent people, then on the other hand for what he did 2 the boy n now his mother or father don,t have a son no more. Which i know is hurtin the both of his parent so bad.Personal just like he can kill three innocent people he need 2 get in that killing chair in jail or go to pirson for lyfe. he don,t need to see daylight if this wat he going to do when he see daylight he need to see that room over and over again to he realize what he has done, and the pain jennifer hudson feel right now.

[misssuzq]

Nice job "authorities" and judge!

This dirt bag could have been locked up and three people would be alive.

Hope you can''t sleep at night.

[docpeter1953]

I would send him back to prison for his hairstyle alone.

Posted by brianp55 at 12:29 PM : Oct 29, 2008
____________________

Sounds reasonable to me.

[brianp55]

I would send him back to prison for his hairstyle alone.

[newmark3]

perception5 you need to go back to he)) where you came from. You are a ignorant as they can get. Get thee behind satan and go set down. How about if your mother, brother, nephew was killed. Crime nows no color boundaries. Look at the anchor women in Little RocK. These are some trying times. It is people like you and the forefathers of this country as to why this country has a bunch of BIGOT and evil RACIST people. Do yourself a favor and go and shut up, go get holy water and hands laid on your evil azz.

[perceptions5]

Wow! ..............and not one word about Obama representing the area, the south-side of Chicago, where almost everyone is being killed.

Obama has represented the STILL crime ridden poverty sticken area of the south-side since 1997. That''s 11 years ago folks and still NO HOPE..............................and STILL NO CHANGE (except for things getting worse).

Can''t wait until The Emperor Withour Clothes, Obama brings all that to the rest of America and the suburbs.

Nothing like promoting someone who has a ZERO record of fixing anything.

Thank God our corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press is covering for "the one".

[arobins28]

Right now is not about Obama or McCain it is a grievious time for Jennifer Hudson and family. Someone lost a mother, brother, and nephew and all you could do is blame Obama(who have nothing to do with this). JENNIFER, JULIA & FAMILY WE LOVE YOU AND ARE PRAYING FOR YOU!

[rrozsa-2009]

corkscr3w, you crack me up! ;-)

[exploria]

This is so awful! I just pray for her family. there is always someone with a different opionion until it happens to them. so every dog will have their day and you xentpro will have yours! anyway, hate to waste energy on stupidity! do anyone know who owned the SUV? they never said.

[akpals]

building prisons isn''t cheap, and neither is keeping criminals in the prisons. It''s easy to be appalled by the fact that if this guy were still behind bars three people may still be alive, but not so easy to support a tax increase to build more prisons and house the huge number of criminals we have in this country.