Suspect in Slaying of Jennifer Hudson's Mother, Brother and Nephew to Remain Behind Bars

Photo, courtesy of Chicago Tribune

Thank God William Balfour, the police suspect in the murder of members of actress Jennifer Hudson's family will remain in prison while investigators continue to investigate the triple slaying.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board ruled this morning that there was reason to believe William Balfour, 27, had violated his parole and should be kept in custody pending a full hearing. The major reason for that was his girlfriend, identified as Shonta Cathey, had said that she had seen him with a gun that matched the murder weapon, according to Jorge Montes, chairman of the review board."It's a very serious allegation ...," Montes said.

They will need to do a thorough investigation to see where this man was before the wrongfully accuse him of the crime. The last thing the Chicago Police Department and the city would need is a civil rights lawsuit against them.

In addition, the board said he had violated parole by being in places where drugs were sold. That stems from a June 19 drug arrest, but Balfour's parole was not revoked at that time. During the hearing, Balfour protested the use of the evidence that authorities presented to hold him, Montes said. Balfour was not represented by a lawyer.

Another full hearing to decide whether to revoke Balrour's parole was set for December 3. Balfour, who is married to the Oscar-winning actress' sister, Julia Hudson, has been on parole for a 1999 attempted murder conviction.

Balfour acknowledged being at the Hudson's Englewood home on the morning that the actress' mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson, were gunned down inside the house, law enforcement sources said. Julia Hudson's son, Julian, was abducted from the home and his body discovered three days later, shot twice in the head and slumped in the back of Jason Hudson's Chevy Suburban on a West Side street. Balfour's current girlfriend also told police that he told her he had been involved in the killings of Donerson and Hudson, sources said.

There are many reasons for this guy to be kept on lockdown. The truth will come out one way or another. To his mother, stop making excuses for your son. He had a criminal record at 16 and was a public nuisance since then. Where is his father? Another sad story.....