Jennifer Hudson’s sister suspected estranged husband in killing of family members, officer testifies

CHICAGO (MCT) — Actress Jennifer Hudson’s sister immediately suspected her estranged husband in the killing of three family members in 2008 because he had become upset earlier that day after seeing balloons in the family home and suspecting they were from her boyfriend, a Chicago police officer testified Tuesday.

New details about the prosecution’s case against William Balfour emerged during a hearing in which the defense sought to quash the arrest and throw out evidence from a search, including a cell phone that detectives used to place Balfour near the murder scene. Judge Charles Burns said he will rule next week.

Prosecutors previously have said that Balfour was angry that his estranged wife, Julia Hudson, was dating another man.

At a hearing Tuesday, a series of police officers involved in the investigation testified that Julia Hudson had quickly fingered Balfour as the likely suspect. She told police he’d stopped by as she was leaving for work earlier that morning and asked to use the bathroom.

“She said he was upset over balloons that were in the house, that they were from another man,” Officer Jennifer Bryk testified.

A boy who lived on the block told police that Balfour had threatened to kill everyone in the house a week or two before the murders, Bryk testified.

Balfour is scheduled to go on trial in April for the murders of Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, 57; brother Jason Hudson, 29; and nephew Julian King, 7. Prosecutors have listed Jennifer Hudson as a potential witness at the trial, which is expected to bring national media attention because of the singer’s presence.

Balfour’s attorneys said Tuesday they want to subpoena the Oscar winner’s cell phone records from the time of the murders. Assistant Public Defender Amy Thompson said Hudson indicated to police she’d exchanged text messages and calls with her mother shortly before the slayings.

Thompson said her team has been unable to obtain the records because prosecutors won’t turn over Hudson’s account information. She also said defense attorneys want to have “a face-to-face conversation” with Hudson about the case before trial.

Assistant State’s Attorney James McKay said that it may be too late to subpoena the records more than three years later. He also told the judge that prosecutors gave the defense Hudson’s contact information, but Thompson retorted it was just a phone number for the star’s agent.