Attorneys Seek Retrial In Jennifer Hudson Family Murders
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 11, 2012 9:25PM
Attorneys for William Balfour filed a motion for a retrial for their client, claiming that singer-actress Jennifer Hudson should not have testified in the original trial where Balfour was found guilty of murdering Hudson's mother, brother and nephew, and that her celebrity status unfairly influenced the jury.
Balfour was convicted last month of the 2008 murders of Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson, 57, brother Jason Hudson, 29, and nephew Julian King, 7. Jennifer Hudson was the first witness called to the stand in the trial, where prosecutors focused their arguments on witnesses who testified Balfour had made verbal threats to Hudson's sister Julia and her family.
Jurors in the trial said after the verdict that Jennifer Hudson's celebrity was not a factor in their decision. Balfour's attorneys accused prosecutors in the 19-page motion of informing them of about “a potential alternate suspect” in the murders after the jury had been selected; and that prosecutors made “improper and inflammatory” statements during closing arguments.
Balfour is expected back in court July 24 and could be sentenced that day if the request for a new trial is denied. He faces a mandatory life sentence in prison.