William Balfour - P 2012
Getty ImagesWilliam Balfour, found guilty in May of killing Jennifer Hudson‘s mother, brother and nephew, has been sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison without parole.
The Oscar-winning singer attended Tuesday’s sentencing in Chicago, according to Reuters; she had been the first witness in the trial, talking about her slain family members, including 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, and her longstanding dislike for Balfour, her sister’s estranged husband.
On the morning of Oct. 24, 2008, Balfour broke into the home of Hudson’s 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donerson, and shot her dead before turning the gun on the singer’s brother, Jason Hudson, 29. He then drove away with Julian, shooting the child whom Hudson affectionately called Tugga Bear in the head several times.
On Tuesday, Cook County Judge Charles Patrick Burns told Balfour: “You have the heart of an arctic night. Your soul is as barren as dark space.”
When Balfour offered his condolences to the family, saying he still loves Julian, Burns said: “To tell us in open court that you loved that child is an insult to all of us.”
His attorneys said they intend to appeal the sentence.
