Advertisement
YOU ARE HERE: LAT HomeCollectionsChicago

Man detained in Hudson case held by state

Chicago police will not call William Balfour a suspect in the slayings. Authorities say he is in violation of parole.

October 27, 2008|Angela Rozas, Jeff Long and Emily S. Achenbaum, Rozas, Long and Achenbaum are reporters for the Chicago Tribune.

CHICAGO — A man detained by law enforcement after the Friday deaths of the mother and brother of Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson was transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections on Sunday for violating his parole after he stopped cooperating with police, authorities said.

Meanwhile, Chicago police and the FBI continued to search for the actress' nephew, Julian King, 7, who was reported missing the same day his grandmother Darnell Donerson, 57, and uncle Jason Hudson, 29, were discovered shot to death.


Advertisement

On Sunday, Jennifer Hudson, 27, and her family offered a $100,000 reward for the safe return of her nephew, the Associated Press reported. In a statement, the actress-singer appealed to the public for its help, asking that any information be given to Chicago police.

Police fanned out into Englewood and surrounding neighborhoods, handing out fliers of the boy's photograph and a description of the white Chevrolet Suburban he may have been taken in, which belongs to Hudson's slain brother.

Julian is 4 feet 11 and weighs 130 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair and was last seen wearing a striped polo shirt and khakis. He is the son of Hudson's sister, Julia.

The man held by authorities, William Balfour, 27, is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister. He had been in questioning since Friday night and denied involvement in the double homicide or Julian's disappearance, law enforcement sources said.

However, he later decided to stop talking to authorities, the sources said. On Sunday morning, Balfour was transferred to an undisclosed state facility for violating conditions of parole on a 1999 conviction for attempted murder.

A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Corrections said Balfour violated his parole because he is a suspect in the slayings and in Julian's disappearance. Chicago police declined to call him a suspect, and he has not been charged in the shooting deaths.

On her MySpace page, Jennifer Hudson's family thanked the public for its support and asked for help in finding Julian.

"Thank you all for your prayers and your calls. Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian King back home safely. If anyone has any information about his whereabouts please contact the authorities immediately. Here is a picture of Julian and what he was last seen wearing. Once again thank you all for being there for us through this tough time. Sincerely, The Hudson Family."

Los Angeles Times Articles
|