Jennifer Hudson's Mother and Brother Slain; Amber Alert Issued for Nephew, Julian King

According to the Associated Press, Jennifer Hudon's nephew, Julian King, is still missing from the home where Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were found shot to death Friday, October 24. A nationwide Amber Alert has been issued.

Chicago police say tragedy struck the home of the mother of the Oscar-winning actress Friday, October 24 around 2:45 p.m. EST. A family member discovered the body of Darnell Donerson, 57, on the floor of her South Side Chicago home and notified authorities. A subsequent search of the house revealed the body of Donerson's son, Jason Hudson, 29, in the bedroom. Both had been shot.

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said that the crime looked to be a domestic abuse issue.

After ascertaining that a child, 7-year-old Julian King, was missing, an Amber Alert was issued. Police also began looking for William Balfour, a recent parolee that listed the Donerson residence as one of the places he lived.

William Balfour was married to Hudson's sister, Julia, in 2006. It was Julia that told authorities that her son was missing.

Balfour's mother, Michele Balfour, maintains that her son is innocent. She told the Chicago Tribune, "I didn't raise no murderer. He was not a child abductor. They have the wrong person." She added, "All I want is for whoever has Julia's son to bring him back. I'm begging them to return Julian back to my daughter-in-law."

Jennifer Hudson was in Los Angeles at the time. She had been expected to appear at an award ceremony for the cast of her new movie, "The Secret Life Of Bees," which premiered last Friday, October 17.

Police later found out through neighbors and Julia's MySpace page that there had been an altercation over the attempted theft of a car. Neighbors heard shots around 9:00 a.m. but, since the neighborhood is one of the more violent in Chicago, no one notified the police.

By 11:30 p.m. Friday night, police reported that they had several suspects in custody and were questioning them. William Balfour, 27, who spent seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking, and possessing a stolen vehicle, was one of the suspects, according to Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. However, thus far Balfour has yet to be charged with a crime, although the police have information that Balfour had young Julian King, who may have been a witness to the murders, with him when he was seen leaving the house.

Jennifer Hudson's publicist, Lisa Kasteler, issued a short statement: "We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation concerning the deaths of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson. No further comment will be made and the family has asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time."

Hudson's personal website JenniferHudson.com has been inundated with condolences and messages by well-wishers.

Jennifer Hudson After "American Idol"

Hudson's career has been on fire of late. She sang the "Star Spangled Banner" at Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech in Denver in late August. In the past two months, she has released a hit single, an album, a new movie, and has a second movie set for release in the next few months.

Hudson's new album, "Jennifer Hudson," is currently at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It peaked at No. 2 three weeks ago when it debuted. She also currently has the a hit single, "Spotlight," which is No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts. The song peaked at No. 27 on Billboard's Hot 100 two weeks ago.

Hudson's new movie, "The Secret Life Of Bees" is currently at No. 3 in box office sales, pulling in $10.5 million its first week in release. Hudson stars opposite Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, and Alicia Keys in "The Secret Life Of Bees."

"Winged Creatures," another movie in which Jennifer Hudson stars opposite Dakota Fanning, is expected to be released before the end of 2008.

Hudson's career began when she finished 7^thon "American Idol" in Season 3 of hit Fox show. She was soon cast as Effie White in "Dreamgirls," a role she won in competition with Fantasia Barrino, the winner of "American Idol" Season 3. Hudson then captured numerous awards, including the Oscar and the Golden Globe, for Best Supporting Actress for her "Dreamgirls" part.

Hudson has often cited her mother as her greatest inspiration. In an interview with Vogue magazine, she attributed auditioning for "American Idol," where the world first met the future "Dreamgirls" star, to her mother's encouragement.

Sources:

Billboard.com

The-movie-times.com

TMZ.com

Associated Press