Jennifer Hudson's Tragedy: Crimes Against Her Family

Posted on: October 29, 2008 at 9:54 a.m.

The 7-year-old nephew of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson was found dead this week, just days after the bodies of Hudson's mother and brother were found in the actress's childhood home. A suspect in the deaths remained in custody Saturday, but had not been charged.

A family member entering the South Side Chicago home Friday afternoon found one family member shot on the living room floor. Officers later found Hudson's mother shot in the bedroom.

At least one of the victims suffered defensive wounds, said authorities who described the shooting as domestic violence. William Balfour, a man suspected in the deaths, was arrested Friday but had not been charged. Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.

Violent crimes such as this are dangerous investigations, especially in such a high profile case. The accused may be quite scared and unwilling to trust authorities, family members and even friends. Criminal defense attorneys who defend violent offenders work with the defendant to build trust, which makes a big difference over the course of the trial.

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Comments:

Lillian Smith Comm 174 on November 11, 2008 at 2:43 a.m. wrote:

The first poster wrote that 'the attention that the case has generated places greater pressure on the Chicago police department to press charges on someone; this, in effect, may lead to a quick and insufficient accusation'. However, a few weeks have passed since the October 24th murders, and we can see that this has not been the case. In fact, I disagree with the poster and believe that it is precisely because of the attention this case is getting that the Chicago Police will take greater care in pressing charges. They know that the country's eyes are upon them, and there is no room for error or false accusations. The Chicago Police are taking extreme care in dealing with Balfour. I am actually very surprised that he has yet to be accused, and I'm curious to see what exactly they are waiting for--it seems to me that all the evidence is in place... Someone has seen him with a gun, his girlfriend has told police that he said he was involved (and although this is hearsay, I believe that combined with all the other evidence it warrants reasonable suspicion), and he is the only suspect is a domestic violence case. I am pleased that they decided to keep Balfour in custody for violating parole, and am eager to see how this case evolves.

Erik R. Martin on November 6, 2008 at 6:36 p.m. wrote:

While reading the law blog I found it quite interesting that, although the suspect has everyone placing blame on him, his rights are still protected. It is noted that William Balfour has a history of violent crime and is on parole. Naturally, under any other justice system Balfour would be discouraged to even attempt to defend his action. But under the US legal system he is given the ability to offer defense to the crimes, and is given hope and trust in the system. If he is charged for these crimes, his past troubles will be treated as isolated events and will not be such a huge burden on him. Sure his history with the law will be relevant in the case, but if his case reaches trial Balfour will benefit from the fact that he is being charged on the related issues and not on his past crimes. If his case reaches trial he will be accused from a clean slate. The court gives individuals the opportunity to believe in the system and enter cases with confidence and determination to prove their innocence. Ultimately, the US court system gives charged suspects a neutral and dignified trial process.

Caitlin Keane on November 3, 2008 at 7:56 p.m. wrote:

When I first heard about the murders of Jennifer Hudson's family members, I was shocked. After a minute though, I started to reflect on the tragedy of the matter. Not only is it devastating that such a young boy, as well as two other adults were killed, but there is another crime here as well. Would we have heard about this incident had it not been for the tie to a celebrity? I would hope so, but who can be sure? Furthermore, I agree that the media pressure, while warranted in such a brutal case, may hinder the investigation. For instance, the brother-in-law is already in custody, splashed across the papers and websites as the only potential suspect at the moment. From this article, as well as others I have read, those conducting the investigation have not released any evidence that completely (or partially) proves that this man is guilty. Of course there is the bumpy family history, but what family does not have one? While I would normally not play devil

Marselin Koshkaryan on November 2, 2008 at 9:08 p.m. wrote:

The murders of Jennifer Hudson

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