Tragedy Strikes Oscar Winner Jennifer Hudson

Friday afternoon, October 24, 2008 Chicago police responded to the frantic phone call alerting them to the shooting deaths of Darnell Hudson Donerson and her son, Jason Hudson. The victims are the mother and brother of Oscar winning actress and singer, Jennifer Hudson. Hudson's 7-year old nephew is missing and is believed to have been taken from the scene by William Balfour, a suspect in the murders. Balfour, a convicted felon who was recently paroled, is married to Hudson's sister, Julia, the mother of the missing child. According to the New York Times, the murder was not discovered until Friday afternoon, several hours after shots were heard by neighbors. It is assumed that the double murder is the result of a domestic dispute between Balfour and the two victims. The tragedy is currently under active investigation by the Chicago Police Department.

Chicago has long been the one of the most violent cities in the United States. In 2006, the Chicago homicide rate out paced both Los Angeles and New York, ranking as the 20th most violent city in the country. This year, Chicago has seen an increase of 13% in homicides over the 2007 rate prompting some politicians to site an increase in gang violence. However, in a story published in the Washington Times earlier this year, the director of gang mediation for CeaseFire, Tio Hardiman, said "The Chicago police are doing the best they can. But people need resources. They need to be educated about how to deal with a conflict. You definitely have gangs, but 60 percent of violence is interpersonal." The Donerson/Hudson murders are the latest to be added to that statistic.

Jennifer Hudson first gained the attention of American audiences when she competed in the third installment of American Idol in 2004. Although she did not win the singing competition, she did capture an Oscar for her performance as Effie White in the film Dreamgirls starring Beyonce Knowles three years later. Ms. Hudson has stated on numerous occasions that she credits her mother's encouragement for giving her the courage to try out for American Idol. She recently released her first album and her single, Spotlight, has been listed in the premier spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart for the past several weeks. Her popularity also extends across the ocean. Last month Spotlight soared to the eleventh spot on the UK Singles chart. Hudson's second major film, The Secret Life of Bees, was released nationwide on October 18, 2008.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/us/25hudson.html?hp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIqSbmp7cCrnSvw1FIMxIvjQa8AQD94178EO0

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5011448.ece

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/25/spiraling-murder-rate-sparking-political-spats/?page=2