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Julian King
(Photo: Jennifer Hudson’s MySpace Blog)
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By Alan King
AFRO Staff Writer
(October 27, 2008) - After the body of an unidentified Black boy was found Monday in a sports-utility vehicle sought in connection with the murder of Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother, the family has assumed the worse and began planning a church vigil in Chicago for the actress’ 7-year-old nephew.
The white, 1994 Chevrolet Suburban with Illinois license plate X584859 was found on Chicago’s West side at 8 a.m. after police received a call about a suspicious vehicle. The SUV was towed with the body inside; it is being processed by evidence technicians and workers at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
Hudson’s family members believe the body is that of Julian King, the third family member killed.
The boy – the son of Julia Hudson, Jennifer’s sister – has been missing since Friday, when a relative found Julian’s grandmother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and his uncle, Jason Hudson, 29, shot to death in his grandmother’s home in the 7000 block of South Yale Avenue.
An Amber Alert – a designation for high-risk missing children – was issued Friday after Julian was discovered missing after the murders. If the body is identified as Julian, it will confirm what detectives fear because a law enforcement source said bullet casings were found in the boy’s room on the day of the murder. But the source said they had not found other evidence of violence in the room.
Police arrested William Balfour, the missing boy’s stepfather and estranged husband of Julia, at his Southside apartment several hours after the murders. Balfour’s mother, Michele, has told reporters that her son had nothing to do with the slayings.
“If the body is identified as Julian, it will confirm what detectives fear…”
Balfour remains a suspect in the murders but is being held in jail for parole violation after being convicted of attempted murder and vehicular hijacking. Cook County records show that he pleaded guilty to both charges in 1999. He was also convicted in 1998 for possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He was released from prison in 2006 after serving seven years for the attempted murder and car hijacking charges.
The boy remained missing through a long weekend in which police and volunteers posted fliers bearing his photograph around the city. On Sunday Jennifer Hudson asked for the public’s help in finding her nephew. In her MySpace blog, she thanked fans and supporters for their prayers and offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who returned the boy alive.
Since the investigation, Hudson – who gained stardom after appearing on “American Idol,” and then won an Academy Award for her role in the movie “Dreamgirls” – has stayed out of the public eye.
The Chicago Tribune reported that a parade of cars moved slowly past her family’s home Monday morning, past the news vans, reporters and curious onlookers. Neighbors stood quietly and reflected on the violence.
In front of the Hudson’s home, men in heavy jackets and hooded sweatshirts came to kiss the twin white crosses baring the names of Donerson and Jason.
“Everybody is sick of going through stuff like this,” Artisha West, a former resident of the area told the Tribune. “We all have to stick together. All these young children are dying, and for what?”