People|Crime

The Tragic Family Nightmare That Nearly Derailed Jennifer Hudson's Entire Life

Laura Allan
Updated July 3, 2024 25.6K views 11 items

Jennifer Hudson seemed be living large in the early months of 2008. Still fresh off the success of the hit film Dreamgirls in 2006, she was lauded as a singer and actress, she'd won an Oscar, and her career was soaring. She was very close with her family, including her nephew, Julian, who was only seven. But in October of 2008, everything came crashing down as her former brother-in-law turned a gun on Hudson's family. William Balfour killed several of her family members — including her mother — in their own Chicago home, leaving her and her sister, Julia, in a state of horror and shock.

People whose families are murdered don't tend to be able to rise from the ashes with ease, and this experience took a toll on Jennifer and her sister. At first they were mostly silent about their trauma, but eventually both became advocates to help family members deal with loss. Even years afterward, though, both women understandably still find it hard to talk about the grisly incident.

The Jennifer Hudson family murder facts are quite grim. However, the good that the Hudson family has done, and the way they have persevered in the face of tragedy is at the very least an inspiration.

  • Jennifer's Mother, Brother, And 7-Year-Old Nephew Were Shot To Death

    Jennifer's Mother, Brother, And 7-Year-Old Nephew Were Shot To Death

    On October 24th, 2008, three of Jennifer Hudson’s close family members were killed. The first was Hudson's 57-year mother, Darnell Donerson. She was was shot to death at her own home in Chicago, Illinois, but she was not alone. Jennifer's brother Jason Hudson was also found in the home, shot to death, and his SUV was missing, as well as her sister Julia’s son, Julian. An AMBER alert was issued, but by the time police located the SUV two days later, Julian was dead inside, shot twice in the head. He was only seven years old.

    It was more than a month before anyone was formally charged with the crimes. Balfour was instantly a suspect, but there was a long road to discovering what had really happened and why.

  • Balfour Initially Kidnapped The Child, Then Shot Him And Left Him

    Balfour Initially Kidnapped The Child, Then Shot Him And Left Him

    Despite the shocking double-murder, for two days there was still hope that Julian would be found alive. When Julian was reported missing, police issued an AMBER alert. Two days later, police found Jason Hudson’s stolen SUV. Inside was a small body with multiple gunshots to the head.

    It was later speculated in court that Balfour killed Julian because the boy was a witness to the other killings and that Balfour couldn't risk him staying alive. The judge also suggested that Julian had become a victim simply because Balfour was angry and he was an easy-access target that would hurt his estranged wife.

  • It Might Have Been A Crime Of Revenge

    It Might Have Been A Crime Of Revenge

    Balfour and Julia Hudson were in the midst of a nasty divorce in October of 2008, and a theory soon emerged that this was a crime of vengeance. 27-year-old William Balfour had been married to Jennifer's sister Julia, and was the father of their son, Julian King. But the couple had not exactly been a happy one, and Julie’s family had voiced their concerns about the whole thing. In fact, Jennifer and Julia's brother Jason had encouraged Julie to leave Balfour and to take her son with her. Her mother, Darnell Donerson, had also said that Julie should leave, and Balfour had gotten wind of this once Julia told him that their relationship was done. This threw him into a violent rage, and he reportedly became fixated on taking it out on her family.

  • The Killer Had A Very Rough Life

    The Killer Had A Very Rough Life

    William Balfour didn't really remember his father, who had gone to prison for murder when he was very young, and his mother had been abusive. By14, he was in a youth shelter, already in trouble for a heroin problem, and abandoned by his mother. From there it got worse, and he was in and out of shelters for years, sometimes living on the street. While his mother occasionally did try to be in his life, even after his arrest, she was rarely anything more than a passing presence.

    Therapists later found that this left him with an intense sense of loss and abandonment, as well as serious anger issues. He suffered from depression and insomnia, and often lashed out at women. His whole family had drug problems, and several member had been to prison for murder or manslaughter. In short, he never saw what a healthy relationship was like, and he eventually took that out on Hudson’s family.

  • Jennifer Had Always Disliked Him

    Jennifer Had Always Disliked Him

    Jennifer Hudson lost her mother, brother, and her nephew all in one day, and saw her sister subsequently descend into a deep melancholy. It completely turned her life upside down, and she has said that it will always impact her.

    While she initially refused to comment on the murders, she eventually stepped up to take the witness stand to testify against her former brother-in-law. What she said was not only telling as far as Balfour’s character, but also to how much this loss had affected both her and her sister. She had apparently known Balfour for years, even when they were in sixth grade together, but had never liked him even then, and had always thought that he was a terrible match for her sister. In court, Hudson stated, “None of us wanted her to marry him. I tried to keep my distance with William any chance I got. Where he was, I tried not to be.”

  • Balfour Had Been Abusive To His Wife

    Balfour Had Been Abusive To His Wife

    Julia had every reason to want to be free of Balfour, besides her family’s encouragement to leave him. He was allegedly verbally abusive to her, and had been seen threatening her life at work and in public. Julia later said that he had once ominously threatened to kill her entire family, before he would kill her. He may have also been physically abusive, and had broken parole from a previous sentence by both taking illegal substances as well as getting his hands on a firearm. Balfour also apparently had at least one girlfriend on the side, and was expecting a baby with her. 

  • Balfour Stalked The Family Before Murdering Them

    Balfour Stalked The Family Before Murdering Them

    One particularly damning detail that came out during the trial was that Balfour had apparently planned the crime before he went on his killing spree. A friend and neighbor to the family testified in court that he'd seen Balfour lurking outside the Hudson family home the summer before the murders. Reginald Jones said that he'd been walking home and had found Balfour sitting in the dark at the bottom of the stairs, right beneath the bedroom window of his wife, Julia, from whom he was by then estranged. The two had spoken briefly, but at the time, Jones hadn't thought much of it.

    Another witness said that Balfour had followed Julia to a park and confronted her there. In her testimony, Maria Wilkes said that Balfour had even talked about how to get in touch with his estranged wife, although Wilkes was only 13 at the time. She also said that she'd seen Balfour approach her on the street, and that she'd said she'd go to the police if he didn't stop. In return, he'd threatened to kill her and her family.

  • Balfour Claimed He Was Innocent Despite The Evidence Against Him

    Balfour Claimed He Was Innocent Despite The Evidence Against Him

    Balfour was taken into custody on the same day that the bodies were found, but not arrested for the crimes, and the police did not file charges against him. According to the Chicago Tribune's timeline of events, when police arrested him at his girlfriend's apartment and questioned him, he refused to take a polygraph test. 

    "Balfour's girlfriend contradicts his alibi and tells police he was involved in the killings of the two adults, but not that of the boy."

    Police held Balfour for 48 hours — the maximum time a person can be held without being charged — but he was then released. Meanwhile, Jennifer identified the bodies of her family members, and two days later her nephew was found in the SUV.

    Balfour was found to have broken parole, however, and in November of 2008, he was held again. During that time, authorities got enough evidence to arrest him, and he was at last charged with murder December 1, 2008. Balfour's girlfriend later admitted that Balfour had confessed the killings to her a day or two later. 

    For a long time, however, Balfour claimed he was innocent. He claimed he loved Julia and Julian, and that he could not have possibly hurt the child. The defense argued that the whole case was circumstantial, and that the case had been rushed and used for headlines, because it was tied to Jennifer Hudson. They also said that, although Balfour had been in possession of the same kind of gun that had killed the Hudson family, there was no DNA evidence of him. They suggested that, instead, Jason Hudson’s activity selling drugs had much more likely lead to the murder. There was also a question as to whether the murder bullets matched a gun Jason once owned and had reported stolen from his home. The murder bullets were eventually traced back to a stolen gun in Michigan.

  • Balfour Had A Long Criminal Record

    Balfour Had A Long Criminal Record

    Another strike against Balfour was the fact that he had a long criminal record. Besides the substance abuse problems and dealing, he actually had an attempted murder on his record. At age 17, he stole a car but was caught by the owner who grabbed ahold of the vehicle and held on while Balfour drove away. The police got involved and during the chase, Balfour  tried to shake the man off, but had eventually crashed into a telephone pole and fled on foot. The owner of the car suffered burns from fallen electrical wires at the telephone pole, as well as other injuries. this same man later testified against Balfour at the Hudson murder trial.

    Balfour was tried for attempted murder for these crimes, and was sentenced to seven years in jail. It was only after he was released and reunited with Julia that he seemed to turn over a new leaf, and the two eloped. But as it turned out, Balfour had not changed as much as everyone had hoped. 

  • Balfour Was Sentenced To Life In Prison For The Hudson Murders

    Balfour Was Sentenced To Life In Prison For The Hudson Murders

    By the end of the trial, at which Balfour didn't even testify, both the judge and jury were convinced that Balfour was guilty. The sentencing judge even went on to say that he thought it was horrible that Balfour would ever say he loved Julian and that "...your heart is an arctic night, and your soul is as barren as dark space." After the jury found him guilty, the judge imposed three consecutive life sentences for Balfour, with an additional 120 years on top of that for home invasion, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and, of course, the aggravated kidnapping of Julian. 

    While he has spoken to the media since his sentencing, Balfour still claims he is innocent. Balfour has said that "...I didn't have nothing to do with the case and don't know who had anything to do with the case." The courts, however, continue to disagree, and he is still currently serving out his sentences. Even after sentencing, Balfour still maintained his innocence.

  • The Hudson Family Created The Hudson-King Foundation Out Of Their Tragedy

    The Hudson Family Created The Hudson-King Foundation Out Of Their Tragedy

    Jennifer and Julia were completely devastated by everything that happened. Both women tried to stay out of the eye of the press, and only spoke occasionally during the time of the trial. Jennifer told US Weekly that part the reason she stayed quiet for so long was because she had trouble connecting with people who hadn't experienced that kind of tragedy.

    “It’s frustrating as hell to me to have somebody who ain’t lost nothing try to talk to me about it. I want to say, ‘Don’t even bother, because you know nothing.’ But you never know how much you can get through until you’re going through it.”

    Since then, however, both women have risen out of the ashes and have sought to use this tragedy to make a difference in the world. Jennifer has said she has found a way to forgive the killer, and owes her mother everything. She say that her son saved her life, and helped pull her out of the depression that swept in after the loss of her family. 

    Even more than that, she and her sister are now seeking to help anyone who has been touched with this specific type of loss in their family. They began the The Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims, which is all about getting care, supplies, and support for those who have lost people to murder. This includes everything from shelter to grief counseling. The foundation has since been revamped as the Julian D. King Foundation, "to provide stability, support and positive experiences for children of all backgrounds to help enable them to grow to be productive, confident and happy adults."