Confirmed: Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother were shot dead in their Chicago home this afternoon.
Missing: Jennifer’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, and Jennifer’s sister Julia (the boy’s mom), who hasn’t been seen since she worked her shift as a bus driver earlier today. They have issued an Amber Alert for the boy. Police are looking for a 1994 white Suburban with the license plate X584859. The boy’s pic is above. Julian is 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He was wearing a brown polo shirt with stripes and khaki pants when last seen.
Police are looking for: William Balfour, who lived with Jennifer’s mom earlier this year and is currently on parole after serving jail time for attempted murder. William may or may not have stolen Julia’s car recently.
Jennifer is returning to Chicago today after being in Tampa.
Thoughts and prayers are with Jennifer and her family.
Update: Police have located William Balfour, who is refusing to cooperate with authorities. They are still looking for the boy.
this is a terrible story and in all likelihood will end when we find out her sister killed her mother and brother. i truly hope the child is found safe and sound. but 7 years old and 130 pounds?!?!!! good lord.
@coach
his weight was listed to help people find him, not so people could make rude comments about it.
i hope julian and his mother are found alive and that someone else shot the mother and brother. what a terrible news item!
this is so sad.
@coach–
I thought that the reports were leaning more towards the already-convicted-of-attempted-murder dude… Her sister and nephew may have been kidnapped by this guy, after he killed her brother and mother.
This is so sad. And I wonder why her mom allowed this person to ever stay with them? He must be connected with the family some way… maybe her sister’s ex-boyfriend? Who knows.
oh and 130 lbs is pretty big for a 7 year old, but in his defense, that is pretty freaking tall for a 7 year old, isn’t it? I don’t know, I don’t have kids… that just seems quite tall.
So sad. I hope they turn up safely, and no other lives are lost.
:(
they showed the house on the news tonight, not a super nice house, on the south side of chicago. my point being, if you or i was rich and famous, an oscar winning actress perhaps, wouldnt the first thing we do be buy our mom a new house? i thought thats what most people say. not that jennifer is responsible for this in any way, i just think its sad…
oh wait. I’m a nerd, and then looked over at TMZ. They said some stuff about myspace, so I looked at Jennifer’s sisters myspace. I figured out why the felon was allowed to stay in that house- He is Julia’s husband. He has a myspace as well….
yes I know I am a nerd. There is just something about true crime that makes me so curious.
How freakin sad.
How tragic. I pray this person is found and swift justice prevails. Here in Ark. a community favorite newswoman was found brutally beaten and nearly dead Monday morning. Found by her mother @ 4:30 am. People who do this cant get far they will be found. Somehow,somewhere they brag. Something comes loose they will be found. We must pray for these beautiful innocent people It makes no sense it happens to them ……
oh my god.
perez is reporting that her mom was shot in the head and the brother was shot in the chest…for some reason i just can’t feel objective about this. poor, poor jennifer :(
Jennifer Hudson just had an unimaginable horror visited upon her and her family, and a comment is she should have purchased her mother a nicer house?? Wow.
This is low on the priority list, but how much money do you think she’s earned? She isn’t Celine Dion. How do you know her mother would have accepted such an offer? Many people take pride in earning their own way and could even be insulted by such an offer.
My thoughts go out to the Hudson family.
@erin
exactly….family members of hers have been *murdered*. i’m not always the most pc person but it’s just wrong to have comments about how her missing nephew is overweight and that jennifer is selfish or something for not buying her mother a better house.
geez, people.
I hate to hear stuff like this. How sad. I hope Jennifer Hudson has a strong support system. I hope they find the boy… alive.
Well from reports that I’ve read her mother did not want to leave the neighborhood. I am sure that was the first thing Jennifer tried to do. I also looked at the myspace page and it seems that this guy is her sister’s husband and stepfather to her son. My heart goes out to her and her family, I couldn’ even imagine a tragedy like this.
To comment first on the weight/height of that beautiful little boy: its not totally uncommon, but he is very tall- almost 5ft at 7 ( gr. 2 more then likely)! (just an fyi for those who were wondering).
Secondly: I cannot believe how terribly sad this is. I really feel for her! I hope she is okay and has support around her at this time. And I hope whomever did this gets their justice.
I know many older people who have lived in areas for many, many years and now they are considered to be “dangerous neighborhoods” but they refuse to leave because it’s their home. I actually know some people who have done well and tried to get Mom to move to a safer area and they refuse to go. Poor Jennifer! I can’t imagine the pain she is in.
oh and you guys– it doesn’t even matter if she moved out of the neighborhood. the alleged murderer is her SON-IN-LAW. so location doesn’t matter, you know? it’s not like some gang came in and killed them..
This is really sad. I am fearing the worse since they say both the sister and nephew are missing. :( I am hoping and praying they are somewhere safe and alive.
this is so sad
i really hope that they’ll find him
Wow, I cannot begin to imagine what poor Jennifer is going through! That was her ENTIRE family! I pray that they find her sister and nephew alive. I hope they find who did this soon. On a bit lighter note: does anyone else see the resemblence of the nephew to Webster? That’s who I thought that was until I read the article. Just sayin’. This is truly awful, disturbing news. My thoughts and prayers go out to Jennifer and everyone around her.
Stay away from Convicts.. keep gangsters out of your house, life and never befriend them.
Just received an update in me e-mail (I live in the area), they have caught the ex, but the kid is still missing
“A suspect in the deaths was in custody Friday night, but young Julian King had not been seen since the bodies of Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were found Friday afternoon.”
http://nwi.com/articles/2008/10/25/updates/breaking_news/doc49034196aeda1998224125.txt
wow Jennifer must be in so much pain right now, it’s so sad that someone would do such a thing..my thoughts and prayers go out to Jennifer and her loved ones, I hope her sister and nephew are found alive and safe.
You know fucking with the grown is one thing but fucking with the innocent children is another.
This is horrible.
My prayers go out to Jennifer and her extended family.
I hope the little boy is found safe,
and that the person responsible for this tragedy is dropped down a long, dark hole.
Someone please explain to me what the weight of the child and the home in which his grandmother lived, have to do with the unjust tragedy that this family as well as community are now facing. My husband is a former professional baseball player and his mother refused to sell or move out of her home that she has been in for years, that home is the roots of her family. Money and status does not mean everything to everyone. Jennifer’s is very blessed to have such a close faith based family who appears to love one another deeply. My prayers go out to them all and I pray it be God’s will to return that beautiful boy home to the family that loves him so much.
Jennifer & Julia……..GOD HAS YOUR BACK and your FAITH in GOD will be your strength. I don’t have to know you to pray for you and cry with you.
Jordi (California)