CHICAGO: A Chicago jury on Friday found the brother-in-law of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson guilty of all charges of killing her mother, brother and young nephew.
William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia was charged with slaughtering his in-laws in October 2008 and then hiding his seven-year-old stepson's body to try to cover his crimes.
Hudson's 57-year-old mother Darnell Donerson was found dead on the floor in the family home in her nightgown. The singer's brother Jason Hudson, 29, was dead in bed wearing nothing but a pair of green underwear.
It took three days for police to discover the body of Hudson's young nephew Julian King, in a stolen sport utility vehicle.
"This defendant was fueled by his obsession, his jealousy," assistant state's attorney Jennifer Bagby told jurors as the prosecution wrapped up the case earlier this week.
"He told her again and again: If you leave me, I'll kill you. I'll kill your family first. You'll be the last to die."
Hudson and her sister Julia broke down into silent tears after prosecutors showed the grisly crime scene photos, including those of young Julian.
The murders in Chicago's South Side upended Hudson's life less than two years after the one-time "American Idol" contestant collected a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in "Dreamgirls."
Hudson, who released her second studio album "I Remember Me" in March 2011, and sang "I Will Always Love You" in memory of the late Whitney Houston at this year's Grammy awards, has attended the entire trial.
She was accompanied to court by her longtime partner, professional wrestler David Otunga.
The two-week trial opened a window onto the troubled Englewood neighborhood where Hudson was raised and which her family never left.
Hudson, choking back tears, had testified in April how no one in her family wanted her sister to marry Balfour.
"We didn't like the way he treated her, and I didn't like the way he treated my nephew," the 30-year-old singer and actress told the Chicago court.
Many of the witnesses had criminal records and several testified about how Hudson's brother was a small-time drug dealer.
Defense attorney Amy Thompson insisted that police failed to look into Jason Hudson's drug connections, and instead decided Balfour was the only suspect.
"They decided right away who did this and they decided to build a case rather than investigate a crime," she said in closing arguments.
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