Murder of Jason Hudson

Last updated
Murder of Jason Hudson
Location Chicago, Illinois
DateOctober 24, 2008;16 years ago (2008-10-24)
8:00–9:00 (US Central time (UTC−06:00))
TargetJulia Hudson
Weapon SIG Sauer handgun
VictimJason Hudson
Darnell Donerson
Julian King
PerpetratorWilliam Balfour

The murder of 29-year-old Jason Hudson, his nephew, Julian King, and his mother Darnell Donerson occurred on October 24, 2008. Two of them were discovered shot to death inside Donerson's home in Chicago, Illinois. [1] The victims were the brother and mother of singer Jennifer Hudson. Jennifer's seven-year-old nephew Julian King, the son of her elder sister Julia Hudson, was initially reported missing and an AMBER Alert was issued; Julian King's body was found on October 27 in Chicago's West Side area, in a parked car matching the AMBER Alert description. [2] Autopsy results indicated that Julian King's death was due to "multiple gunshot wounds." [3] A pistol found in a West Side vacant lot was confirmed as the murder weapon by Chicago police. [4]

Contents

Investigation

On the day that the bodies of Hudson's mother and brother were discovered, Chicago police took Julia Hudson's estranged husband William Balfour, 27, into custody and he confessed . [5] Balfour was on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen vehicle. The Illinois Department of Corrections' records reveal one of Balfour's addresses to be the home where Donerson and Jason Hudson were murdered. [1]

After the Chicago police had held Balfour for the maximum 48 hours allowable without charging him with a crime, he was held by the Illinois Department of Corrections on a parole violation. [5] At the November 10, 2008, parole hearing, the prisoner review board was told by the Cook County State's Attorney's office that Balfour's current or former girlfriend told investigators she saw Balfour with a gun identical to the murder weapon several days before the murder occurred. [5] Board chairman Jorge Montes said that although Balfour may have violated other conditions of his parole, including failing to get anger management and substance abuse counseling, the gun allegation alone was sufficient to hold Balfour until a December 3 hearing before the full Illinois Prisoner Review Board. [5]

Montes said that the allegations from the woman included that Balfour had admitted to her that he was involved in the murders, but those allegations were not part of the parole review hearing. [6] Balfour appeared at the hearing without an assigned attorney because he had not been charged with a crime. [5]

Arrest and conviction

On December 1, 2008, Balfour was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Donerson, Jason Hudson and King, as well as one count of felony home invasion. [7] At a December 3 court hearing in which Balfour was denied bail, a prosecutor alleged that Balfour had committed the murders out of anger that his estranged wife was dating another man. [8] Balfour's attorney Joshua Kutnick said that his client maintained his innocence in the crimes. [7] Balfour was indicted on December 30. [9] On January 20, 2009, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. [10] He was convicted in May 2012 and sentenced to 3 life sentences plus 120 years.

Legacy

In the aftermath of the deaths, Hudson's family announced the creation of the Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims, a foundation "to care for the needs of families who have lost relatives to a violent crime," according to a statement released to the press. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Gwen Araujo</span> 2002 murder of trans girl in California

Gwen Amber Rose Araujo was an American teenager who was murdered in Newark, California, at the age of 17. She was murdered by four men, two of whom she had been sexually intimate with, who beat and strangled her after discovering that she was transgender. Two of the defendants were convicted of second-degree murder, but not the requested hate-crime enhancements to the charges. The other two defendants pleaded guilty or no-contest to voluntary manslaughter. In at least one of the trials, a "trans panic defense"—an extension of the gay panic defense—was employed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Hudson</span> American singer and actress (born 1981)

Jennifer Kate Hudson, also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer and actress. Having received numerous accolades for her work in music, film, television, and theater, Hudson became the youngest woman and third African-American recipient of all four major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT) in 2022. She was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin Kings</span> Hispanic and Latino street gang based in Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation is a gang active primarily in the United States as well as internationally. The gang was founded by Puerto Ricans in Chicago, Illinois, in 1954. The Latin Kings are one of the largest Hispanic and Latino street and prison gangs worldwide.

The Brown's Chicken massacre was a mass murder that occurred on January 8, 1993, in Palatine, Illinois, when two robbers shot and killed seven employees at a Brown's Chicken fast-food restaurant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Elyse Pahler</span> American murder victim

Elyse Marie Pahler was a 15-year-old Arroyo Grande High School freshman who was murdered on July 22, 1995 by three teenage boys, Royce Casey, Jacob Delashmutt, and Joseph Fiorella.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom</span> 2007 carjacking, rape, and murder of a couple in Knoxville, Tennessee

Channon Gail Christian, aged 21, and Hugh Christopher Newsom Jr., aged 23, were from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. They were kidnapped on the evening of January 6, 2007, when Christian's vehicle was carjacked. The couple were taken to a rental house. Both of them were raped, tortured, and murdered. Four males and one female were arrested, charged, and convicted in the case. In 2007, a grand jury indicted Letalvis Darnell Cobbins, Lemaricus Devall Davidson, George Geovonni Thomas, and Vanessa Lynn Coleman on counts of kidnapping, robbery, rape, and murder. Also in 2007, Eric DeWayne Boyd was indicted by a federal grand jury of being an accessory to a carjacking, resulting in serious bodily injury to another person and misprision of a felony. In 2018, Boyd was indicted on state-level charges of kidnapping, robbery, rape, and murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ripper Crew</span> American cult and organized crime group

The Ripper Crew or the Chicago Rippers was an organized crime group of serial killers, cannibals, rapists, and necrophiles. The group was composed of Robin Gecht and three associates: Edward Spreitzer, and brothers Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis. They were suspected in the murders of 17 women in Illinois in 1981 and 1982, as well as the unrelated fatal shooting of a man in a random drive-by shooting. According to one of the detectives who investigated the case, Gecht "made Manson look like a Boy Scout."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Burge</span> Chicago police chief charged with misconduct (1947–2018)

Jon Graham Burge was an American police detective and commander in the Chicago Police Department. He was found guilty of lying about "directly participating in or implicitly approving the torture" of at least 118 people in police custody in order to force false confessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Alvarez</span> American politician

Anita M. Alvarez is the former State's Attorney for Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alvarez was the first Hispanic woman elected to this position, after being the first Latina to win the Democratic nomination for state's attorney of Cook County.

Rolando Cruz is an American man known for having been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death, along with co-defendant Alejandro Hernandez, for the 1983 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico in DuPage County, Illinois. The police had no substantive physical evidence linking the two men to the crime. Their first trial was jointly in 1987, and their statements were used against each other and a third defendant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Gargiulo</span> American serial killer

Michael Thomas Gargiulo is a convicted American serial killer. He moved to Southern California in the 1990s and gained the nickname The Hollywood Ripper. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on July 16, 2021. As of April 2023, he was incarcerated in the California Health Care Facility; in September 2024, he was extradited to Cook County, Illinois, to face trial for a 1993 murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Riley Fox</span> 2004 death

Riley Fox was a 3-year-old girl from Wilmington, Illinois, who was murdered on June 6, 2004. After Riley's father was initially accused and then cleared by DNA evidence, paroled convict Scott Eby confessed to the crime and was convicted. Eby died in prison while serving a life sentence without parole he received for the murder on December 7, 2023.

Nicole M. Abusharif is an American woman, convicted of the 2007 Villa Park, Illinois murder of her domestic partner, Rebecca "Becky" Klein. After being found guilty of first-degree murder in May 2009, Abusharif was sentenced to 50 years in prison at the Dwight Correctional Center in Nevada Township, Illinois. The case made national news because of the intrigue of a "lesbian love triangle" murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Maria Ridulph</span> American murder victim

Maria Elizabeth Ridulph was a seven-year-old girl who disappeared from Sycamore, Illinois, on December 3, 1957. Her remains were found almost five months later in a wooded area near Woodbine, Illinois, approximately 90 miles (140 km) from her home. Maria was last seen by her friend on her neighborhood corner of Center Cross Street and Archie Place with an unknown man in his early twenties who called himself "Johnny".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Hadiya Pendleton</span> 2013 crime in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

The murder of Hadiya Pendleton occurred on January 29, 2013. Pendleton, a 15-year-old girl from Chicago, Illinois, was shot in the back and killed while standing with friends inside Harsh Park in Kenwood, Chicago after taking her final exams. As a student at King College Prep High School, she was killed only one week after performing at events for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. First Lady Michelle Obama attended the funeral for Pendleton in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Jennifer Cave</span> Murder in the West Campus area of Austin, Texas, US on August 18, 2005

The murder of Jennifer Cave occurred in the West Campus area of Austin, Texas. On August 18, 2005, Cave's body was discovered. In 2009, Chuck Lindell of the Austin American-Statesman called it the "most infamous West Campus crime".

Chester Otto Weger is an American man who was convicted in 1961 of the murder of one of three women found slain at Starved Rock State Park the previous year. He was held at Pinckneyville Correctional Center and at one time was the longest serving inmate incarcerated by the State of Illinois as well as the third longest in state history before his release on February 21, 2020. On November 21, 2019, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board granted parole to Weger by a vote of 9–4. He was released on parole February 21, 2020.

Jorge Avila-Torrez is an American serial killer and rapist. A resident of Zion, Illinois, Avila-Torrez murdered two girls who lived in his neighborhood in 2005 and later murdered a female Petty officer in 2009 at Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall. He was sentenced to death by the federal government for that crime as well as receiving a 100-year sentence for the Illinois murders. On December 23, 2024, President Joe Biden issued a commutation to 37 out of the 40 inmates on the federal death row. Avila-Torrez's federal death sentence was commuted by President Biden.

References

  1. 1 2 Shenoy, Rupa (October 25, 2008). "Jennifer Hudson's nephew missing after slayings". Associated Press . Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  2. ↑ Tareen, Sophia (October 27, 2008). "Singer's 7-year-old nephew found dead in SUV". Associated Press . Archived from the original on November 1, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  3. ↑ "ME: Hudson's nephew shot multiple times". UPI . October 28, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  4. ↑ Bellandi, Deanna (October 31, 2008). "Police: Gun found in lot used in Hudson slayings". Associated Press . Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Babwin, Don (November 10, 2008). "Man questioned in Hudson case to stay in prison". Associated Press . Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Suspect in Hudson slayings to remain in jail". Channel NewsAsia . November 11, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  7. 1 2 Babwin, Don (December 3, 2008). "Estranged relative charged in Hudson family deaths". USA Today . Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  8. ↑ Babwin, Don (December 4, 2008). "Man charged with murdering singer's kin". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  9. ↑ "William Balfour Indicted on Hudson Murders". OK! . December 30, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Hudson accused pleads not guilty". BBC News . January 21, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  11. ↑ Perry, Beth (October 30, 2008). "Jennifer Hudson Announces Foundation for Murder Victim Families". People . Archived from the original on November 3, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.