Hudson's Brother-In-Law Charged In Murders

Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of three family members.

Cook County state's attorney's office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton says prosecutors handed down formal charges against William Balfour on Tuesday in the deaths of Hudson's mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew.

Balfour had been in custody on a parole violation since the bodies of Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were discovered in their home Oct. 24.

Seven-year-old Julian King's body was found in a sport utility vehicle three days later.

All three had been shot to death.

Police took Balfour into custody the same day the adults' bodies were found. After 48 hours he was taken to prison on a parole violation. Police arrested him on a warrant in the deaths Monday.

Balfour was arrested at Stateville Correctional Center and released to detectives.

Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a "person of interest" in the investigation.

The bodies of Donerson and Jason Hudson, were discovered Oct. 24 at the family's home on the South Side of Chicago. The body of 7-year-old King was found three days later in a sport utility vehicle on the West Side. All three had been shot.

Balfour - King's stepfather and the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's older sister, Julia Hudson - served seven years for a 1999 attempted murder and vehicular hijacking conviction.

His mother, Michelle Balfour of Chicago, has denied that her son had anything to do with the deaths. Telephone numbers for Balfour's mother and sister were disconnected Monday.

Balfour had refused to take a lie-detector test and stopped cooperating with detectives in the case, a police official, who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, has said.

Police have confirmed they found the gun used in the killings. The .45-caliber gun was discovered Oct. 29 in a vacant lot in the West Side neighborhood where the King's body was found a few days earlier.