Jennifer Hudson Returns To Chicago A Year After Murders

By Anna Deem in News on Oct 24, 2009 9:00PM

Exactly one year ago today, the bodies of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, and her brother, Jason Hudson, 29, were discovered inside their home on the South Side. Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found a few days after in a car on the West Side 10 miles away from his home. All three victims had been shot to death. William Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia, was charged for the killings with first-degree murder, allegedly killing the three family members because he was upset that Julia was dating someone else. Balfour pleaded not guilty and is still in jail.

Although Hudson has repeatedly declined interview requests to talk about the killings, she has returned to Chicago since last October, performing her song "Spotlight" on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" last month. In just a few weeks, Hudson will visit Chicago again to film an ABC prime-time special titled "Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home for Christmas," which is scheduled to air in December, and will show Hudson's old neighborhood and the church where she started singing.

Hudson is also busy focusing on her new son, David, named for her fiancé Daniel David Otunga. In a recent interview, Hudson told reporters that she can't wait to see "who he becomes, who he takes after, what he decides to do, [and] if he'll sing." [Chicago Sun-Times]