THE BODY of a young boy found in Chicago yesterday was thought to be that of the missing seven-year-old nephew of the film actor Jennifer Hudson. The discovery came after her mother and brother were found murdered last Friday.
The boy, Julian King, had not been seen since Friday, when his uncle and grandmother were found dead in their apartment in the city's Englewood neighbourhood. They had been shot by an intruder. On Sunday, the former boyfriend of Julia Hudson, the boy's mother, was transferred into state custody. William Balfour had been held and questioned as a "person of interest". After he stopped talking to police he was deemed to have violated his parole from a 1999 conviction for attempted murder, and was transferred to prison.
Monday's developments came after the actor had offered a $100,000 (€79,700) reward for the safe return of her nephew. Volunteers handed out leaflets in the south Chicago neighbourhood bearing a photograph of the boy and a description of a white 4x4 vehicle belonging to the murdered man, Jason Hudson. Yesterday, police said the body of a boy had been found inside a vehicle parked 8km from the murder scene.
Police said last Friday's killings took place when a gunman shot through the door of the apartment, killing Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson (57). The gunman then entered the apartment and shot her 29-year-old brother.
Hudson came to fame as a finalist in the TV talent show American Idolin 2004. She did not win, but was later offered a lead role in the movie Dreamgirls, alongside Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé Knowles, for which she won the Oscar and the Golden Globe for best supporting actress. She appeared in this year's Sex and the Cityfilm and The Secret Life of Bees.
Balfour served seven years in jail after being convicted of attempted murder and car theft in 1999. He was arrested on Friday at his girlfriend's apartment. He said he was with her all day, but police sources said she contradicted his account.
- (Guardian service)