William Balfour, the man who was accused of killing three members of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson's family in Chicago has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and home invasion.
While 27-year-old suspect was present in the courtroom for this morning's arraignment, his attorney, Joshua Kutnick, did all the talking, entering the plea on Balfour's behalf in Cook County Circuit Court. Moreover he tried to convince everybody of the fact that it would be easier for them to meet with him if their client was moved from a state prison to the Cook County Jail.
Balfour, indicted on three counts of murder, has been held in the Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet, Illinois, since soon after his arrest in December. He is currently in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections. His next court date is January 27.
Balfour is the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia. He is accused of murdering her son and Jennifer's nephew, 7-year-old Julian King, Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother Jason Hudson in October.
Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were found shot to death in the Hudson family home in the 7000 block of South Yale in Chicago's South Side Englewood neighborhood. Julian’s body was discovered in a sport-utility vehicle three days later on the West Side. Prosecutors believe that Balfour was upset that Julia Hudson was dating another man and even received a present from him and that jealously may have played a role in the crime.
After staying out of the spotlight in recent months, Hudson, an Academy Award winner for "Dreamgirls," recently agreed to sing at both the Super Bowl and the Grammy Awards ceremony next month.
She first gained notice as one of the finalists on the third season of the FOX television series American Idol. She went on to star in the 2006 motion picture “Dreamgirls” for which she has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and a SAG Award. She was also recently nominated for four Grammy Awards. Hudson has won particular praise for her show-stopping onscreen rendition of the hit song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", the signature song of the role, which had earlier been recorded, and had already reached the status of musical standard, because of the definitive performance of Jennifer Holliday.
Of the recent nominations, The “American Idol” alum expressed her gratitude, saying, "It's been a childhood dream of mine to release an album, so to receive 4 Grammy nominations is truly a blessing. I'm extremely honored and humbled by the nominations.
