Credit: www.blackvoices.com
Home. Once, it was the cradle of Jennifer Hudson's greatest triumphs. Now, it's a bloody crime scene, one that's symbolic of her darkest hour.
Hudson, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie Melody White in the film adaptation of "Dreamgirls," and who has emerged as a respected actress and singer, often credited her rise to fame to her upbringing in the impoverished neighborhood on Chicago's South Side where she went to grade school and sang in church. In media interviews, she often cited how her family's influence kept her grounded and that her new-found fame hasn't changed her or alter her family's in any way.
Then, just when she's beginning to hit her stride career-wise, tragedy strikes.
Her mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and her brother, Jason Hudson, 29, were found dead of of gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
According to Chicago Police authorities, a family member entering Donerson's South Side home Friday found Donerson's body on the living room floor. Officers later found Hudson shot in the bedroom. At least one of the victims suffered defensive wounds, said authorities, who described the shooting as domestic violence.
Compliating matters is the disappearance of Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, for which an Amber Alert was issued. Julia Hudson, Julian's mother has made an impassioned plea in the media for the safe return of her son.
As I write this, though no charges have been filed against specific individuals, authorites were holding a suspect with ties to the family, but no one had been charged Saturday. Law enforcement sources told the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times that William Balfour, estranged husband of Jennifer's sister, Julia Hudson, was in custody, and the man's mother said he is Julia Hudson's estranged husband.
Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour, 27, is a convicted felon currently on parole, and has spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle. Public records show one of Balfour's addresses as the home where Donerson and Jason Hudson were shot.
Balfour's mother, Michele Balfour, said that her son had been married to Julia Hudson for several years, but that they were separated. She also said Donerson had ordered him to move out of the home last winter.
Police authorities said a family member entering Donerson's South Side home Friday found a woman's body on the living room floor. Officers later found Hudson shot in the bedroom. At least one of the victims suffered defensive wounds, said authorities, who described the shooting as domestic violence.
There's been an outpouring of public sympathy and support for Hudson and her family in this time of crisis. Let's keep them in our prayers.
10/27/2007 UPDATE: Tragically, Julian King was found dead of a gunshot wound inside the now-abandoned white SUV. To paraphrase Tom Brokaw, the emotions I'm now feeling and the outrage that's engendered within me cannot be adequately expressed in socially acceptable terms.
At least they are now in a better place. Let the justice system take its course, and allow justice to be properly served. The Hudson family did not deserve this.
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