A jury has found William Balfour guilty of killing three members of Grammy-award winning singer Jennifer Hudson’s family.
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William Balfour.
HO/AFP/Getty Images
William Balfour.
Balfour, Hudson’s ex-brother in law, was found guilty on all three counts of first-degree murder for the 2008 shooting deaths of Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. The Chicago Sun-Times adds that he was also convicted of “home invasion, aggravated kidnapping, residential burglary and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.”
At the time of the murders, Balfour was estranged from his wife Julia, who was Hudson’s sister. During the trial, prosecutors said he became angry when he found out Julia was dating someone else.
As we reported last month, Hudson was the first to take the stand in the trial. She broke into tears when a prosecutor asked her about the last time she saw her family.
Balfour, who was on probation at the time of the murder, faces a mandatory life sentence.
Update at 5:49 p.m. ET. Hudson Was In The Court Room:
The AP reports:
“Hudson eyes filled with tears and she shook her head at bit her lip as the verdict was read.
“Prosecutors had to build an overwhelming circumstantial case tying Balfour to the killings because there were no surviving witnesses. Defense attorneys claimed the killings could have been related to Hudson’s brother’s alleged drug dealing.
“Hudson was the first witness called to the stand and she attended every day of testimony.”
Article source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/05/11/152527179/william-balfour-found-guilty-in-murder-of-jennifer-hudsons-family?ft=1&f=1001