Jennifer Hudson, one of the world’s most acclaimed artists, faced an unimaginable tragedy in a single day: her mother and brother were brutally attacked in their family home, and her seven-year-old nephew was kidnapped. What followed was a heart-wrenching manhunt to rescue her nephew and seek justice against the man who shattered her family.
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00:00I remember it like yesterday.
00:03A grisly discovery was made inside an Illinois home.
00:06I was literally picking up my bags to walk out the door to go to my mother's house.
00:12We're being told by the medical examiner that the victims include an adult woman and an adult man.
00:17And David was going out to train in Florida.
00:20He called me like, can you come out here instead of going?
00:24And I was like, okay, sure.
00:26The home where the bodies were found belongs to the family of singer and Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson.
00:32That one decision, that one thing.
00:38You would have been there.
00:40Do you know what happened? Did she fall?
00:42No, I just got home from work and there's a bullet hole in my front door.
00:46I would have been home sleeping in a bed with her.
00:48So you think about that. I could have been in that house.
00:52And do you think he would have?
00:55On October 24th, 2008, nothing could have prepared Jennifer Hudson for the discovery her sister was about to make.
01:03At around 3 p.m., Jennifer's older sister, Julia, returns from work to the Hudson family home.
01:10A place where they have lived for most of their lives.
01:13As she walks to the entrance, she expects to be greeted by her seven-year-old son, Julian, who stayed at home from school that day.
01:20Being watched over by her mother, Darnell, and her older brother, Jason.
01:24But as she is about to step inside, she is shocked to find a bullet hole in the front door.
01:30She opens the door and is immediately struck by the sight of her mother's lifeless body.
01:37In a frenzy, Julia runs out of the house and calls 911.
01:42What happened?
01:43I don't know. She's on the floor and I see blood coming from her head.
01:47Is she breathing?
01:48I don't know. I didn't even touch her. I just ran out the house.
01:50While on the call, she realizes she doesn't know where the rest of her family is.
01:55And asks a neighbor to look inside the house.
01:59Where's my brother? Where's Hudson? Where's the house?
02:04I don't know where Julian is or nothing.
02:07What she would later find out is that her brother, Jason, was shot dead in his bedroom.
02:13And her son, Julian, had been abducted.
02:16The mother and brother of Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson were found murdered in the family's home.
02:22That tragedy is compounded by the growing mystery over what happened to Hudson's seven-year-old nephew.
02:28Only an animal would do something like that, man.
02:31A heartless person, man.
02:33A child innocent, man. He doesn't deserve nothing like this.
02:36Julian, very intelligent, very smart child.
02:39Somebody, anybody, whoever, just let him go.
02:42Sadly, gunshots are so common here that when they rang out Friday morning, no one bothered calling 911.
02:48And that ended up giving the killer what amounted to a seven-hour head start with his little captive, Julian King, in tow.
02:56The Amber Alert for Julian King is in effect.
02:59Anyone who's seen a white 1994 Chevy Suburban is urged to call police.
03:06Just let my baby go. Please. Seven. Let my son go. Please, that's all I ask.
03:13Outside the family home, neighbors are sharing the grief.
03:17And just let Jennifer know that we care. That's all.
03:20People in the neighborhood say they remember voting for Jennifer Hudson when she was on American Idol.
03:24They, of course, prayed for her and they wanted something good to happen for her.
03:27Then, now they say they're holding out hope, of course, for their seven-year-old loved one to be returned here safely in Englewood.
03:34The tragedy comes at a time when the Oscar-winning Dreamgirls star was living the dream.
03:40Not only I can do it, but you can do it, too.
03:42But she still relied heavily on her close-knit family to help stay grounded.
03:48Even as a rising star, Jennifer would constantly return home to be with her family.
03:54The last time she was with them was the weekend before everything happened.
03:59My nephew Julian was sitting, reading a book in the living room.
04:04It was always me and my Tug-o-Bear. That's what I called him.
04:09I was playing the piano, and my mother sat on one side of me, and my brother sat on the other side.
04:17And I was singing them a song.
04:20And it was just us. Me and family.
04:26But on the day of the murders, even though she was far away, she knew something was wrong.
04:33I was in Tampa, Florida with my fiancé. He asked me to come out and visit him, and so I did on my off time.
04:41I woke up about 10 or 11 in the morning, and I noticed that I'm looking to see the texts from my mom, and it wasn't any.
04:50If I'm waking up around 10 or 11 o'clock, and there's no message from her at all?
04:56That was just really odd to me.
04:59That was the first thing I said. My mom didn't text me.
05:04Maybe she's busy. I don't know.
05:07So, I remember falling back to sleep, and when I woke up, my sister called my fiancé's phone.
05:15And he couldn't understand what she was saying because she was so hysterical.
05:20And I grabbed the phone from him, and that's when she told me.
05:26She understood what I was saying, and she was screaming.
05:32And she flew in. She flew in right away.
05:35As Jennifer arrived in Chicago on the night of the murders, the press waited for a comment, but she remained silent.
05:42One of the first things she does is to go to the Cook County Examiner's office, where she has the devastating task of identifying her mother and her brother's bodies.
05:54It's all like a blur. It was surreal. It was like I was outside of myself.
05:59Without giving herself time to grieve, she decides to put all her focus on finding her nephew.
06:06A $100,000 reward if anybody saw him, found him, knew where he was.
06:10We were just trying everything, anything we could to get him back.
06:15The only thing the family really feels will comfort them is having Julian in their arms, knowing that he's safe and okay.
06:22Just hope they just find out who did it. And when they find him, they get what they deserve.
06:27You knew immediately who had done it.
06:30We all did.
06:32You all did.
06:33In this picture taken just a few months earlier, Jennifer is standing next to the man she would later blame for her family's murder.
06:42Her brother-in-law, William Balfour.
06:45You told the police, go get him.
06:47He had an argument with my sister and he went up to her job and he told her, I'm going to take Julian.
06:53And Julia went home and told my mother. And my mother said, open my dead body. That's exactly what happened.
07:00She didn't want me to marry him. I married him.
07:03She told you that?
07:05Yeah, she told me, she's like, look, I'll fly you around the world, I'll do whatever you want, just don't marry him.
07:10Balfour was very angry with the family after being thrown out, that he often went on angry tirades, and this man was prone to violence.
07:19The police run with this lead and are able to use William's phone number to triangulate his location.
07:25They pinpoint him miles away from the crime scene at his new girlfriend's house.
07:30When the police entered that home, William Balfour attempted to flee.
07:35We heard a loud bang. The police kicked the back door open, because they came in full force and put me right on the ground.
07:41For the Hudson family, grief mixes with hope.
07:44Authorities tell that the suspect is in custody.
07:47William Balfour is being questioned by police, but Hudson's seven-year-old nephew, Julian King,
07:51who Balfour is suspected of abducting, still has not been found.
07:56Why am I here?
07:58You're here because you're a mother-in-law, an ex-mother-in-law, an ex-brother-in-law of your father-in-law.
08:05What are you interested in as his kid? Where's the kid?
08:09I don't know where he is. I don't.
08:13Let me put it to you this way. If that little boy turns up D-E-A-D somewhere,
08:18I'm going to have a problem.
08:23Don't you think I'm going to have a problem?
08:26The Amber Alert remains active, as does the police investigation.
08:30There is still no sign of the white Chevy SUV.
08:33And on October 27th, they finally had the break they were hoping for.
08:39Early Monday morning, several miles away from the original crime scene,
08:42a couple walking their dog realized an SUV parked on their block was the one that police had been looking for.
08:51And he went and looked at the license plates, and it matched what was on the TV.
08:56What you're looking at is video of the white SUV.
09:00People from the medical examiner's office are going to that car right now.
09:03We understand that there is a possibility that the seven-year-old nephew, Julian King, may have been found dead this morning.
09:18For the second time in two days, Jennifer goes to the Cook County Examiner's office.
09:25But this time, it was to identify her seven-year-old nephew.
09:28It literally just takes a part of you.
09:34He was such a bright little boy. He was so smart.
09:38He, um...
09:48I can't even say it.
09:50It's like, how could that happen?
09:54This really happen?
09:56This really happen?
09:58That's when you know it's real, when you find yourself saying it.
10:02Or having to say it.
10:04Saying the words, my family was murdered, makes it real.
10:10Mourners gather at a Chicago church for a private funeral for Jennifer Hudson's slain mother, brother, and seven-year-old nephew.
10:18I can't even get over, like, who do I grieve for first?
10:22Of course, I'm going to think of my mother, because this is my mother.
10:26So, I think of her a lot.
10:28Next, I think of Julian, my brother.
10:31I have moments where it's bits and pieces, like, it's too much.
10:36You're confused. Your mind is confused. Your feelings are confused.
10:39You don't know where to start.
10:41Mourners say the Oscar-winning actress paused to give her mother a final kiss during the service, and that the family remained composed.
10:48I cannot imagine how she'd feel. I would never know that, you know.
10:53It's very hurting to know that someone would kill a seven-year-old man.
10:57What have he done to anyone in his whole lifetime for them to kill him?
11:04As Jennifer disappeared from the public eye, the case against her family's killer was only beginning, and it was going to be harder than she could have imagined.
11:14That there is no physical evidence to connect William Balfour to the murders of Darnell Donerson, Jason Hudson, and Julian King.
11:21The DNA on the murder weapon doesn't match Balfour's.
11:24Defense argues investigators wrongfully zeroed in on Balfour because they had a high-profile case on their hands and needed a suspect.
11:31We are extremely confident that once all of the evidence has come to light, that William will be found not guilty.
11:37My mom used to say, Jenny, one of my favorite things about you is that no matter how negative things are, you always seem to find a positive.
11:47And I remember thinking in that moment, like, how am I supposed to find a positive in this?
11:53I'd wake up depressed for almost two weeks straight inside one room.
11:59I was pretty much secluded from everything that was going on.
12:03I didn't watch any TV. I didn't want to even know what was going on because I had more than enough to deal with.
12:11I remember being asked to do a film around that same time, and I was like, I have to get adjusted to who I am now.
12:19So I can't be another character, be another character if I don't know who I am.
12:26As the trial date was getting closer, Jennifer was asked to perform at the Grammys.
12:32It would be one of her first public appearances in two months.
12:36But what made things worse was the reality that in just a few days, she would be celebrating her brother's birthday without him.
12:44It's killing us to even face the holidays and the birthdays.
12:47When you lose loved ones, you don't want to see a birthday come.
12:52I can't do this anymore.
12:53I don't sit still very well, and I knew if I sit here and dwell on it, it's going to be harder.
13:00She decided to step out and do what her family loved to see her do, sing.
13:06But before that, she's caught off guard by a welcomed surprise.
13:10Jennifer Hudson.
13:17I don't really think it was at the Grammy itself.
13:19I just think it was more of a moment in her life that she won't forget.
13:25Wow, I'm just in awe right now.
13:28I would like to thank my family in heaven and those who are here today.
13:37But the most emotional part of the night was her performance.
13:41Amidst the pain, Jennifer sings for the family she lost.
13:45Amidst the pain, Jennifer sings for the family she lost.
13:49Ladies and gentlemen, Jennifer Hudson.
13:55I could hear my brother in my head, like, Jennifer, you need to kill this.
14:11You need to get up and do you.
14:13I knew he would be disappointed.
14:15I knew he would do it justice.
14:27God never gives you anything that you can't handle.
14:30And again, this isn't a religious thing, but you go like, wow, he's allowing her to handle it tonight.
14:36He's allowing her to still have a sweet taste in her mouth after all of these bitter things.
14:43Towards the end, it was hard.
14:45I mean, because I'm always emotional and I've had to work on that.
14:49And my mama was, it used to irritate her style of,
14:52Jenny, why you always got to be crying when you get up there to sing?
14:55What are you crying for?
15:05I was definitely thinking of my family when I was singing that song.
15:10That's what I was thinking.
15:13Really, you cannot put into words how special of a moment that was for me.
15:31It was like, if there could be anything to lift me up, that would be it.
15:35So often we get lost.
15:37Music is like home.
15:38You know, it's that base.
15:40And anytime you're lost, anytime you're trying to find your way, anytime you're scared, you run home.
15:49Jennifer felt her family was still with her, cheering her on and giving her the strength to move forward.
15:56I can hear him saying to me, Jenny, knock it off.
16:00Like right now, my mama be fussing at me.
16:03Why you always crying? Stop crying.
16:05My brother telling me, Jenny, knock it off.
16:06You got to keep going.
16:08And so the only thing I can do to honor their memory is to make them proud.
16:14And that's what keeps me going.
16:16And I haven't been to the grave site since we buried them.
16:18I can't come back here empty handed.
16:20To make sure her family gets justice, Jennifer decides it's finally time to face their killer.
16:27In a stunning move, prosecutors launched their case Monday with the witness that had the highest profile, Jennifer Hudson.
16:34Witnesses like this, when you don't have physical evidence such as DNA or fingerprints or gunshot residue, those are things that are super important.
16:41She's a surviving member of the family that would testify about the family members that were murdered in this particular case.
16:49The high profile trial attracted a swarm of media, but cameras are not allowed in the courtroom.
16:55Although Jennifer is a primary witness for the case, her testimony, while beneficial, could backfire on the prosecution's case.
17:01We are all killing ourselves if you don't think the celebrity of someone like Jennifer Hudson won't affect just the people in that courtroom.
17:10If the jurors feel that she is overreacting or acting in any way, it will hurt.
17:17I don't like the idea of being boxed into anything.
17:20This is who you are, this is what you're going to be.
17:23No. In my world, there's no limit. Nobody gets to determine that for me.
17:26In the summer of 2006, did you learn that your sister Julia was dating somebody?
17:32Yeah, I eventually learned that Julia and William were dating shortly after he resurfaced to the neighborhood.
17:38None of us wanted her to marry him. I would tell her over and over again not to marry William.
17:44We did not like how he treated her, and I didn't like how he treated my nephew.
17:49Everything that was said in trial about me making threats or anything like that, it was all new to me.
17:55And you don't know who did it?
17:57No.
17:59Or you're just not willing to say?
18:01No, it's nothing like that. It's nothing like that.
18:04It's very responsible. I'm not letting him off the hook for anything.
18:07Jennifer is trying to say that this is not a crime that will go unpunished.
18:12This is not another nameless, faceless crime that nobody pays attention to.
18:17She helped set the time of this crime.
18:19There was a habit between her and her mother that mom would always text her.
18:24That coupled with all of the other witnesses in the case and the cell tower analysis to unhook the defendant in that area at the time these horrific crimes had been committed.
18:33So many compelling pieces of circumstantial evidence.
18:39When you put it all together, you know exactly what the picture is.
18:44William Balfour guilty of murdering Hudson's mother, brother, and seven-year-old nephew.
18:50Judge Burns said your heart is an arctic night and your soul is as barren as dark space.
18:57Why was it so important for you to be there each and every day?
19:01That's very easy to answer. My mother would have been there, so I had to be there every step of the way.
19:06Both of us did. And to honor them, that was the only thing to be done was to be there.
19:11So nothing else mattered. We had to be there.
19:15After sending William to prison, Jennifer felt she could finally see her family.
19:21Now I want to go because I feel like, okay.
19:24To stand above the grave.
19:26Right. I've accomplished this. We've done this. We got justice.
19:30I came back with justice being served. So now I feel like I deserve to be able to see them.
19:42Every day is not a day go by that I don't hear my mother in my head.
19:46That's what I live by. And everything I do, I try to reflect and know to be sure that she's proud of me.
19:53That's what keeps me going, knowing that I know she's proud of me.
19:57The trauma of my mother's death is not the story of her life.
20:03Jennifer Hudson just couldn't hold back the tears.
20:06A mayoral proclamation naming this Julian King Day in Chicago.
20:10For the second straight year, through a foundation named for Julian,
20:14the Hudson sisters distributed school supplies to needy kids at the Kroc Center in West Pullman to honor Julian's memory.
20:21I just want to make sure that we just remember him. And it's a healing process for all of us.
20:27I feel like we have a new beginning. And it's beautiful.
20:31We're still blessed. We've had our loss, but we're finding our way.
20:38Your mother, do you think about her?
20:41You know what? Today is my mother's birthday.
20:44She used to write me letters when I was away.
20:47She said, of all these things you've done, my favorite part is the person you are and your character.
20:52I've seen the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows.
20:56We have no choice but to go on.
20:58We have no choice but to go on.
21:01The best way to keep going is to honor their memories and to live in the way they wanted you to live.
21:08You've been blessed with life, so live it.