Jennifer Hudson's Mother Found Dead

Jennifer HudsonUPDATE 11:26 PM ET: The suspect, William Balfour, has been taken into custody. Hudson's nephew, 7-year-old Julian King is still missing, according to WFLD-Chicago. Balfour is refusing to cooperate with cops or supply info.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Jennifer Hudson's mother was one of two victims shot and killed in Chicago earlier today.

A neighbor tells TMZ the other victim was Jennifer's brother Jason. A cousin who lived nearby discovered the bodies.

We're told the two bodies were found dead on the scene at 2:44 PM. When the fire department arrived and discovered the bodies, police were brought in and the home was declared a crime scene.

A call to Hudson's rep was not immediately returned.

UPDATE 6:40 PM ET: An all points bulletin has been issued for a boy, believed to be Hudson's 7-year-old nephew (right), who may have been taken from the scene. Police are looking for 1994 white Suburban with the license plate X584859.

UPDATE 7:35 PM ET: Police are looking for William Balfour (left), who they claim could be with the missing 7-year-old. According to records, Balfour listed Hudson's mother's address as a place of residence within the last year. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections website, Balfour is currently on parole after serving jail time for attempted murder.

UPDATE 8:35 PM ET: Lost in all this is Jennifer's sister Julia, mother of the missing 7-year-old. We're told she works as a bus driver in Chicago. Her employer told us she worked her shift today. She hasn't been seen since.

UPDATE 9:20 PM ET: A WBBM reporter is saying that neighbors have said a family member in the Hudson household apparently tried to steal a car a few weeks ago, an argument ensued, and he vowed revenge. A photo on Julia's MySpace page (bottom) posted prior to today's events alludes to some kind of dispute with William over a car.



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(Page 36 of 36) Previous 15 Comments

526. Theory 1: Julia Hudson's Involvement
There are too many holes in this story:
1)The body of Jennifer Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson was found by Jennifer Hudson’s sister Julia around 2:45 PM Friday. Julia called 911 to report the shooting. She also reported her 7-year-old son missing. Police arriving on the scene found Hudson’s brother Jason shot to death in a bedroom.- okay I got this from CNN. My question is how could she report her son missing if she never went through the house. She claimed to have walked in the door, and after seeing her mother's body in the living room, left out the house and called 911. She then went to the police station to report Julian missing. How did she know he was missing and not hiding in the house or somewhere murdered in the home? Apparently, the police discovered her brothers body- she did not. As I said, she only made it to the front door.
2)Friday was a teacher's work day in Chicago. Therefore, children did not report. Julia is a school bus driver. Why was she working then? If her son didn't have school, she shouldn't have had to work.
3)Police have stated that Jason Hudson was shot when the gunman shot through the front door. He also received defensive wounds. However, his body was found in an upstairs bedroom. If you've seen a picture of him- he was no small guy. William, a man of small stature, could not have taken him upstairs alone. If Jason was shot in the thigh, he would have needed a very large person to help him upstairs. I always wondered in that type of area, shouldn't they have a gun in the home?
4)Shell casings were found in Julian King's bedroom, yet police are saying he was killed in the SUV.
5) The small bullet only went through the wooden door, so the door should have still been locked. How did the killer get in? If he shot at the door first, who in their right mind would have opened it for him?
6)Why didn't they come at night when most murders occur? The whole family would've been there, and they could've killed everyone.
7)Sure, the police could've been monitoring Julia's myspace, but I doubt it. This is more along the lines of the FBI and they didn't jump aboard until late Saturday. I'm sorry, but I just can't imagine with your mother and brother being tragically killed, and your son missing, the last thing I'd be thinking about is the damn computer. And if it was her on the computer, and William was a suspect, why did she keep him as her #2 friend? His *ss would've been gone with the quickness. Why did she feel the need to explain her actions on Myspace yesterday? Why has she been seeking support from her fans on Myspace when I'm sure she's surrounded by family and friends who love her? I'm sure her closest friends/family know how to reach her. Is she enjoying her newly found celebrity status? My little cousin was gunned down a few years ago in Detroit and my Aunt joined a support group for grieving mothers. She said during her meeting yesterday, the women unanimously agreed that something wasn't right about Julia Hudson- even the grief counselor said that she's exhibiting questionable behavior for a grieving mother.
8)Her appearance at the press conference was a little too calm and collected for me. Her hair was fly, she looked pretty well-rested, and she said Julian was more "like a little brother?"
I pray that I'm wrong. Lord, I do. I just can't imagine a mother being involved in something like this, which is why I've held back on posting this. But something isn't adding up. If they had something on William, they would've charged him. I think they're trying to get William on technicalities.
Theory 2: Jason Hudson's Involvement
Jason Hudson has had a few run ins with the law. Perhaps he owed some people some money and they were coming after him. I'm not sure what Ms. Donnerson's schedule would've been like on a regular school day and what time Julian went to school. Maybe she normally took him to school, and didn't come home from dropping him off until around 9:30. If the killers had been watching the house all week, and noticed this pattern, maybe they didn't expect to find Mrs. Donnerson and Julian there on Friday. I mean, it wasn't like it was a major holiday. This would've explained a few things:
1)Why Jason went from being shot downstairs to going upstairs in his bedroom. Did he have something in his bedroom that the killers wanted? Otherwise, why did they let him walk upstairs instead of shooting him in cold blood like they did his mother?
2)They weren't expecting to see Julian. I think this may have really posed a problem for them as they struggled with what to do with him and the person couldn't bear to kill a 7 year old kid. I mean, they had enough heart not to kill the dog- but then again the dog can't talk. Whoever killed Jason and his mother probably didn't kill Julian- they got someone else to. The sad thing is, this poor boy witnessed the murder and became a liability.
I hope the Chicago Police does a good job and looks at all angles.

Posted at 12:03PM on Oct 28th 2008 by diva3serita

527. "Balfour listed Hudson's mother's address as a place of residence within the last year. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections website, Balfour is currently on parole after serving jail time for attempted murder" WTF??????????
I'm sorry for her loss but brining in an EX MURDERER in your house--WTF!

Posted at 3:17PM on Oct 29th 2008 by WTF?

528. Her family should move to Lake Forest or Highland Park, which is the Beverly Hills of Chicago. For instance, the world's greatest basketball player Michael Jordan lives in Highland Park. Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood is were Oprah lives.

Detroit is way worse than Chicago. A corrupt mayor Kwame Kilpatrick ruled that city. And now Kwame Kilpatrick is facing jail time. Murders, robbers and rapes and happening every day in Detroit.

New Orleans, Detroit, Harlem, New York, St. Louis and East St. Louis, Illinois, Gary, Indiana and South Central Los Angeles, Commerce, CA is not a good place to live. Don't live in those cities!!!

Posted at 8:27PM on Oct 29th 2008 by Kwame

529. My prayers are with this Family. How sad to lose your Brother and Mother. How sick can some people be

Posted at 10:18PM on Nov 1st 2008 by Mustang01gtbabe

530. From E! online:

Jennifer Hudson "Still in Shock" at Chicago Hotel

Jennifer Hudson has been holed up in a downtown Chicago hotel with loved ones and friends as she prepares to bury three family members. "She is still in shock," a source tells E! News. "She hasn't gone out much at all and has a lot of security around her."

Insiders say that Hudson checked into the Trump International Hotel & Tower on Oct. 24, the day her mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were shot and killed in Donerson's home and nephew Julian King was reported missing.

Hudson had been in Florida when she received the news and immediately boarded a flight north. Since her arrival last Friday, Hudson has rarely left her hotel suite, sources say. She has had her cousins run errands, including picking up personal items from her downtown condo and bringing in food. Hudson hasn't been seen in public since identifying her nephew's body at the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office on Monday.

Sources close to the Oscar winner tell E! News that her family and fiancé David Otunga have been her rock throughout the week. In fact, Otunga has been with her around the clock. "David's been by her side through this whole tragedy," a family source says. "He has totally been there for her."

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b66557_jennifer_hudson_still_in_shock_chicago.html

Posted at 4:20AM on Oct 31st 2008 by Dave

531. this is beyond my thoughts my prayers are with you jennifer

Posted at 12:12PM on Oct 31st 2008 by miss ella

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