Posted Nov 1st 2008 11:37AM by TMZ Staff
Chicago cops have confirmed -- the gun found last Wednesday is the same one used to murder three members of Jenifer Hudson's family.
Police found a .45 caliber Sig-Sauer semiautomatic pistol a block from where a vehicle was part containing the body of Jenifer's 7-year-old nephew Julian King. Cops knew almost immediately the gun was a match because of unfired bullets synced up with the casings found at the murder scene.
Police also are investigating whether the weapon may have once belonged to Jason Hudson.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined the weapon was originally owned by someone in Michigan who had reported it stolen. Investigators now need to follow the path of the gun that takes them to Chicago.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 31st 2008 4:55PM by TMZ Staff
Julian King's body was covered with a curtain, which may explain why it took three days for authorities to find, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Additionally, sources tell the paper Jennifer Hudson's brother Jason was shot in the leg before he was killed on Friday. It was unclear how he got the wound and how it factored into his murder.
A public memorial is scheduled for Sunday at the Pleasant Gift Memorial Baptist Church in Chicago. The ceremony will be private from 3-4:00 PM and then it will be open to the public.
Filed under: Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 30th 2008 11:49AM by TMZ Staff
Almost a week after the brutal slayings of her mother, brother, and son, Julia Hudson inexplicably remains friends with estranged husband William Balfour, the "person of interest" in the case -- at least on the Internet.
Julia Hudson has logged onto her MySpace account numerous times in the last few days -- as recently as today, according to MySpace -- but has yet to remove William Balfour, who goes by "Flex" on MySpace, from her list of friends.
She has changed her personal photo and replaced written passages on her page, among other things. And as of today, she describes her online mood as "numb."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 30th 2008 4:12AM by TMZ Staff
The primary suspect in the murders of Jennifer Hudson's family insists he's innocent –- but won't take a lie detector test.
William Balfour told cops he had a "good relationship" with the Hudson family, reports the AP, but when they asked him to take a polygraph, he refused and "stopped cooperating" with detectives. Balfour still hasn't been charged, but cops still are honed in on him as the possible killer.
The handgun found yesterday by cops is thought to be a .45 caliber weapon, the same that was used in the murder of Darnell Donerson, Jason Hudson, and Julian King.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 29th 2008 5:26PM by TMZ Staff
Police recovered a gun today and it may be the murder weapon in the Hudson murder case.
Cops sent 100 personnel to search the area where the body of 7-year-old Julian King was found. A handgun was found in an abandoned lot, about a block away from where the vehicle with Julian's body inside was parked.
Cops believe this is the weapon used in all three murders.
The Chicago Sun-Times broke the story.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 29th 2008 5:21PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has obtained court documents in Chicago that show how the lives of the people in the Hudson murder tragedy have intersected.
We've obtained arrest reports and other docs in connection with a sting operation in Chicago. On March 4, 2002, Chicago cops targeted Jason Hudson, Jennifer's murdered brother, and Gregory King, the father of Julian, the murdered 7-year-old boy. Both men allegedly sold crack cocaine to a registered informant. Cops then raided the very home where Jason was murdered last week. According to documents, Jason, Gregory and Julia (Jennifer's sister) were all arrested.
Julia was never charged with a crime. Jason was charged with cocaine trafficking, but the main count was dismissed in 2004 because the judge ruled police conducted an illegal search. During that hearing, Jennifer's mom had to choose whether to go to Hollywood to watch her daughter on "American Idol" or be in court...she chose the latter.
Gregory was convicted. Jason agreed to enroll in a drug abuse program and the less serious remaining charge was dismissed.
Cops say Jason and Gregory were affiliated with the gang, Gangster Disciples. That's the same gang that William Balfour, the "person of interest" was in. The lawyer who repped Jason told TMZ cops often jumped to conclusions and assumed people in that neighborhood were gang members.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 29th 2008 2:30PM by TMZ Staff
If the Hudson triple-murders weren't awful enough -- some sleazeball is now using the tragedy to scare you into buying his company's product.
A. John Peters -- we're guessin' the A stands for A-hole -- sent out a press release with the unbelievable title: "Could a Bedside Shotgun Rack Have Saved Jennifer Hudson's Family from Tragic Death?"
The answer is most likely no. Only one of the three victims was shot in a bedroom.
A-Hole says he didn't issue the release to capitalize on the family's pain -- but are you buyin' what he's sellin'?
Filed under: Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 29th 2008 1:14PM by TMZ Staff
The mother of William Balfour -- the "person of interest" in the murder of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew -- was a guest on "Nancy Grace" last night. Like any good mother, she had a perfectly good reason for everything people are saying William did.
Filed under: Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 29th 2008 5:45AM by TMZ Staff
There's evidence this morning suggesting there may have been another person involved in the murder of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew.
Investigators have honed in on William Balfour's movements after the killings on Chicago's South Side, according to the Chicago Tribune, and "are trying to determine" if someone else drove the prime suspect to the West Side, where the body of 7-year-old Julian King was found.
Witnesses have told cops they saw Balfour drive a teal Chrysler to the Hudsons' block on Friday morning, and that car was eventually found about a mile away. The SUV in which Julian was discovered ended up about 13 miles away from the Hudson house.
Filed under: Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 28th 2008 5:55PM by TMZ Staff
William Balfour -- the "person of interest" in the murders of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew -- was arrested for drug possession earlier this year, but did not have his parole revoked.
Back in June, an officer responded to a shots fired call on the same block as the Hudson family home. When the officer arrived on the scene, he came across Balfour in his car. Balfour exited the vehicle and approached the officer, who detained him. When the cop checked Balfour's car, the officer "observed in plain view a knotted baggie filled with a rock like substance."
He was cited for possession of less than 15 grams of cocaine, a felony. The charges were eventually dismissed. The arrest report noted Balfour was on parole, but said "no warrant will be issued at this time."
Corrections Department spokesman Derek Schnapp told the AP that officials reviewed the case but determined "the evidence that was presented during that time wouldn't have necessarily warranted a violation."
Balfour is currently being held on an unrelated parole violation and he has not been officially named a suspect.
Filed under: Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 28th 2008 4:36PM by TMZ Staff
Julia Hudson, Jennifer's sister and the mother of murdered 7-year-old Julian King, updated her MySpace page yesterday with a truly sad and depressing message.
"LETS SEE IM 29 YEARS OLD I HAVE ONE CHILD AND I'M ALWAYS BORED, I LOVE TO HAVE FUN EVEN START A LITTLE S*** HERE AND THEIR i HAVE TWO YOUNGER SIBLINGS MY SISTER IS JENNIFER HUDSON YES THE JENNIFER HUDSON AND MY BROTHER IS JASON,
I GUESS IT'S TIME TO UPDATE THIS WHEN I STARTED MY MYSPACE ALL OF THE ABOVE WAS TRUE , NOW BECAUSE I CHOSE TO DO WHAT WAS NATURAL TO ME AND LOVE SOMEONE , IT COST ME MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY MY WONDERFUL BEAUTIFUL LOVING SUPPORTING MOTHER DARNELL, MY TRUE BLUE BABY BROTHER JASON , I LOVE U BIG BABY ...
Click here... it's not over yet
Filed under: Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 28th 2008 2:45PM by TMZ Staff
William Balfour -- the "person of interest" in the murders of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew -- isn't the first Balfour to run afoul of the law.
Balfour's father is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence for murder. His brother served time for drug dealing.
Balfour himself has served time for attempted murder and carjacking.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Balfour was a member of the Gangster Disciple Street Gang.
Also according to court docs, Balfour told the judge back in 1999 he had a good relationship with his mother until "she gets an attitude."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Jennifer Hudson
Posted Oct 28th 2008 2:32PM by TMZ Staff
A spokesman for Cook County today confirmed the grim news we all knew -- Julian King, Jennifer Hudson's nephew, died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Our sources tell us it was two shots to the head.
Filed under: Jennifer Hudson
