Balfour Faces Parole Hearing

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 10, 2008 3:35PM

William Balfour, the "person of interest" in the killings of the mother, brother, and nephew of Jennifer Hudson, is scheduled for a parole hearing this morning that many news outlets are touting as something that could allow Balfour to "go free." The parole hearing, which was to happen at 9 a.m. this morning in Stateville, will determine if there is enough evidence in the Hudson case to constitute a violation of Balfour's parole and keep him in custody while police continue their investigation; charges still haven't been filed in the late October incident. In the latest development, the Trib is reporting law enforcement sources as saying Balfour has not only admitted to being in the Englewood home of Hudson's family (where Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found shot) the morning of the shooting, but is saying that Balfour's current girlfriend claims Balfour admitted to being involved in the killings.

But why would Balfour go free? Because, technically, this parole hearing is separate from the Hudson murders. While police will use evidence taken from when they arrested Balfour in connection with the murders (such as a possible weapons violation), if the Illinois Prisoner Review Board finds insufficient evidence of a parole violation, Balfour would go free since he hasn't been charged in the murders. Jorge Montes, Chairman of the Illinois Parole Board, said, "Being a person of interest is not a violation of parole, we would not determine that to be a reason to actually bring somebody back and violate his parole." Balfour is currently on parole for a 1999 attempted murder conviction and was actually arrested for possessing cocaine in June, but his parole was not revoked then.