Julian King, Jennnifer Hudson's Nephew.
(Photo: REUTERS/National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children/Handout)
By Alan King
AFRO Staff Writer
(October 27, 2008) - Jennifer Hudson and other relatives positively identified the body of her 7-year-old nephew Monday, just hours after his body was found in a sport-utility vehicle sought in connection with the murder of Hudson’s mother and brother.
The white, 1994 Chevrolet Suburban with Illinois license plate X584859 was found on Chicago’s West side after police received a 7 a.m. call from a neighbor about a suspicious vehicle. The man noticed the vehicle while walking his dog.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the boy had been shot multiple times in the back seat of the vehicle. The SUV, registered to Hudson’s murdered brother, was towed with the boy’s body inside and is being processed by evidence technicians and workers. The body was later removed and taken to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
Hudson and other family members arrived at the Medical Examiner’s office mid-afternoon to identify the body. Given the choice between looking directly at the body or viewing it on a wall-mounted video screen, the family chose the latter. According to the Tribune, Hudson said, “Yes, that’s him.”
A spokesman for the office told the newspaper that Hudson “remained strong for her family” and was clearly its leader. “She held hands with her family,” the spokesman said. “It was obviously a very emotional moment.”
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| Jennifer Hudson and her Mom (Courtesy Photo) |
Jason Hudson (Courtesy Photo) |
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.
“She held hands with her family. It was obviously a very emotional moment.”
An Amber Alert – a designation for high-risk missing children – was issued Friday after Julian was discovered missing after the murders. Police arrested William Balfour, the missing boy’s stepfather and estranged husband of Julia, at his girlfriend’s Southside apartment several hours after the murders. Balfour’s mother, Michele, has told reporters that her son had nothing to do with the slayings.
Person of Interest William Balfour (Courtesy Photo)
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?”