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Solved case · 2008
Also known as Jason Hudson · Julian King
The short answer
Jason Hudson, 29, his mother Darnell Donerson, and his seven-year-old nephew Julian King were shot to death in Chicago on October 24, 2008. William Balfour, the estranged husband of Julia Hudson (Jennifer Hudson's sister), was convicted in 2012 of the three murders.
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On October 24, 2008, three members of singer Jennifer Hudson's family were killed in Chicago, Illinois. Jason Hudson, 29, and his mother, Darnell Donerson, were found shot to death inside Donerson's home. Jennifer Hudson's seven-year-old nephew, Julian King — the son of her elder sister Julia Hudson — was initially reported missing, prompting an Amber Alert. His body was discovered on October 27 in a parked car on Chicago's West Side matching the alert description. An autopsy determined Julian King's death was caused by multiple gunshot wounds. Chicago police later confirmed that a pistol recovered from a vacant lot on the West Side was the murder weapon.
On the day the bodies of Donerson and Jason Hudson were found, Chicago police took William Balfour, 27 — the estranged husband of Julia Hudson — into custody, and he confessed. Balfour was on parole at the time, having spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking, and possession of a stolen vehicle. Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections showed one of Balfour's listed addresses was the same home where Donerson and Jason Hudson were killed.
After police held Balfour for the maximum 48 hours permitted without formal charges, he was held instead by the Illinois Department of Corrections on a parole violation. At a November 10, 2008, parole hearing, the Cook County State's Attorney's office told the prisoner review board that a woman who was Balfour's current or former girlfriend had told investigators she saw him with a gun identical to the murder weapon several days before the killings. Board chairman Jorge Montes noted that the gun allegation alone was sufficient grounds to hold Balfour pending a further hearing, and separately stated that the woman's allegations included a claim that Balfour had admitted his involvement in the murders to her, though those allegations were not part of the formal parole review record. Balfour appeared at the hearing without an attorney because he had not yet been charged with a crime.
On December 1, 2008, Balfour was formally arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Donerson, Jason Hudson, and King, along with one count of felony home invasion. At a December 3 hearing, where he was denied bail, a prosecutor alleged the killings stemmed from Balfour's anger that his estranged wife was dating another man. Balfour's attorney, Joshua Kutnick, said his client maintained his innocence. Balfour was indicted on December 30, 2008, and pleaded not guilty to all charges on January 20, 2009. He was convicted on May 11, 2012, and sentenced to three life sentences plus 120 years.
In the aftermath, Jennifer Hudson's family announced the creation of the Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims, described as an effort to support families who have lost relatives to violent crime.
8 dated entries · 2008–2012
Jason Hudson and his mother, Darnell Donerson, are found shot to death inside Donerson's home in Chicago; Julian King is reported missing and an Amber Alert is issued.
Julian King's body is found in a parked car on Chicago's West Side matching the Amber Alert description.
Illinois prisoner review board holds a parole hearing on William Balfour; officials cite an eyewitness account placing a matching gun with Balfour before the murders.
William Balfour is arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony home invasion.
Balfour is denied bail at a court hearing; prosecutors allege a motive tied to jealousy over his estranged wife.
Balfour is indicted.
Balfour pleads not guilty to all charges.
Balfour is convicted and sentenced to three life sentences plus 120 years.
4 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Mother of Jennifer Hudson; found shot to death in her Chicago home on October 24, 2008.[3]
29-year-old brother of singer Jennifer Hudson; found shot to death in his mother's Chicago home on October 24, 2008.[3]
Seven-year-old nephew of Jennifer Hudson, son of Julia Hudson; initially reported missing, found dead on October 27, 2008, of multiple gunshot wounds.[3]
Estranged husband of Julia Hudson; convicted May 11, 2012, of three counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to three life sentences plus 120 years.[3]
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EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 5, 2026
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