Skip to main content

Gun found during probe of Hudson killings

  • Story Highlights
  • NEW: AP: William Balfour refused to take a police polygraph test
  • Police: Gun found near where 7-year-old's body discovered will be tested
  • Balfour, child's stepfather, was detained for questioning in relation to the killings
  • Actress Jennifer Hudson's nephew, mother, brother killed
  • Next Article in Crime »
Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Chicago police on Wednesday found a handgun near where the body of one of actress Jennifer Hudson's three slain relatives was discovered this week.

An investigator picks up a gun discovered not far from where Jennifer Hudson's nephew was found slain.

Police said they recovered a weapon in an alley within a block of where Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found dead in an SUV on Monday morning. Aerial footage of the scene taken by Chicago TV station WLS showed an investigator putting a pistol in a box.

A police spokesman said testing was needed to confirm whether the weapon was connected to the Hudson case.

Julian's body was found in an abandoned Chevrolet Suburban on Chicago's West Side. Police had begun a massive search for him on Friday, the day Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were found slain in their South Side Chicago home.

All three victims died from multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.

The pistol was found by one of 50 police academy recruits who were searching parts of the city for possible evidence in the case, Deputy Chief Nick Roti said.

The recruit spotted the weapon in the thick shrubbery of a vacant alley around the corner from where the sport utility vehicle was found, Roti said.

The site where the SUV was found has turned into a makeshift memorial for Julian, Roti said. Stuffed animals and balloons were there Wednesday night.

Julian was the son of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson, who police said found one of the bodies Friday and called police.

Don't Miss

William Balfour, 27, who is Julian's stepfather and Julia Hudson's estranged husband, was detained Friday for questioning in connection with the slayings, a police representative said.

Balfour has refused to take a polygraph test, The Associated Press reported Thursday, citing an unnamed source who the news agency said is familiar with the Hudson investigation.

Balfour has been transferred to state custody for a parole violation. He spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, carjacking and possession of a stolen vehicle and was released in May. Police have so far refused to discuss precisely how he violated parole.

Breaking News Coverage
Watch Nancy Grace for breaking news coverage of the Jennifer Hudson tragedy.
Tonight, 8 & 10 ET on Headline News

Authorities have told CNN only that Balfour's parole violation was of a "technical" nature, which could range from a curfew violation to missing an appointment with a parole officer. WLS reported that Balfour missed an appointment with his parole agent Friday. The agent phoned Balfour, who told the agent he was baby-sitting, the station said.

Balfour violated his parole by possessing a weapon and by failing to attend an anger management class and a substance abuse program, according to WLS.

The Family

Julian King, 7, was Jennifer Hudson's nephew and Julia Hudson's son

• Julia Hudson is Jennifer Hudson's sister and Julian's mother

• Julia Hudson's estranged husband is William Balfour, who is in police custody

• Michele Davis-Balfour is William Balfour's mother

Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother Jason Hudson were found shot to death Friday in Chicago

Balfour also was arrested in June on suspicion of drug possession, officials said, but there was not enough evidence to constitute a parole violation. WLS reported that cocaine was found in Balfour's car.

On Tuesday night, Balfour's mother, Michele Davis-Balfour, told CNN's Nancy Grace her son had nothing to do with the slayings.

"My son's alibi was [he was] with one of his girlfriends, OK?" Davis-Balfour said.

When Grace asked which girlfriend he was with Friday, the mother said her son was with a woman named Diana on Friday night, and with a woman named Kate on Saturday morning.

A Tuesday autopsy report revealed Julian had been shot multiple times, but the Cook County medical examiner's report did not say when the child died or where his wounds were.

Jennifer Hudson

• Born: September 12, 1981, Chicago, Illinois

• TV: Rose to fame on third season of "American Idol"; despite finishing seventh, she developed a strong fan base

• Movies: "Dreamgirls" (2006); "Sex and the City: The Movie" (2008); "The Secret Life of Bees" (2008)

• Music: "Jennifer Hudson" (2008), released September 30

• Honors: Academy Award for best supporting actress for "Dreamgirls"; Golden Globe for best supporting actress for "Dreamgirls"

On Julia Hudson's MySpace page Monday afternoon, she wrote: "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 ... and last but never not least, my only son, Julian."

advertisement

Davis-Balfour disputed that her son and Julia Hudson had a rocky relationship. Grace asked if the two were "romantically" involved, and Balfour answered that they were. She said Julia Hudson and her son were together Thursday night after she invited Balfour to celebrate her birthday by having cake. Video Watch Davis-Balfour talk about her son »

"People don't understand what's going on. My son loved her. She loved him," Davis-Balfour said. "... Regardless to whatever anyone says, my son still loved Julia."

CNN's Susan Roesgen contributed to this report.

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

All About ChicagoJennifer Hudson

  • E-mail
  • Save
  • Print