New York Times: Mother and Brother of Jennifer Hudson Are Reported to Be Slain

Mother and Brother of Jennifer Hudson Are Reported to Be Slain


By MITCHELL L. BLUMENTHAL
Published: October 24, 2008

The mother and brother of the Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson were found shot to death inside her mother’s house on the South Side of Chicago on Friday afternoon, and the police were said to be looking for her 7-year-old nephew.

The police confirmed that Ms. Hudson’s mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, was one of the victims, the ABC affiliate WLS reported on its Web site. A neighbor reportedly told the entertainment Web site TMZ that the other victim had been identified as Ms. Hudson’s brother, Jason S. Hudson, 29.

The police said they were searching for Ms. Hudson’s nephew, Julian King, who had been reported missing on Friday morning.

According to TMZ, the police were searching for a man identified as William Balfour, the husband of Ms. Hudson’s sister, Julia, who they said could be with the missing boy 7-year-old. Mr. Balfour reportedly listed the address of Ms. Hudson’s mother in the Englewood neighborhood as his place of residence within the last year. The Web site also reported that according to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Mr. Balfour is on parole after serving time in prison for attempted murder.

WLS reported that neighbors told the police they heard shots fired on Friday morning.

But it was not until Friday afternoon that a family member found Ms. Donerson in the living room and left the house to call the police, the television station reported. When they arrived at the house, they found Mr. Hudson in a bedroom.

The police said that there was no sign of forced entry at the house, and that the shootings were the result of a domestic dispute.

The Rev. Willie Davis, pastor of the Progressive Baptist Church, where Ms. Hudson and her family were members, said that despite her daughter’s celebrity, Ms. Donerson chose to stay and live on the South Side, WLS reported.

“That says a lot about the fact of the kind of family Jennifer comes from,” Mr. Davis was quoted as saying. “They’re a family of faith. They want to be attached to their roots.”

Church leaders said they were told that Ms. Hudson was flying home to Chicago from Tampa, Fla., according to the television station.

In 2007, Ms. Hudson won an Oscar for best supporting actress in her role as Effie White in the film "Dreamgirls."