said by on November 1, 2009 Filed Under: Uncategorized» Home l Information
Hudson began dating James Payton in 1999, when she was eighteen. They were both from Chicago. When asked if they had any plans to marry, Hudson declared that, “We are happy with the place we are right now, but perhaps we will tie the knot someday. One thing’s for sure, I definitely won’t be popping the question!” The couple separated in late 2007.
Hudson met David Otunga (who appeared as “Punk” from I Love New York 2), a Harvard Law graduate. On September 12, 2008, Hudson’s 27th birthday, Otunga proposed marriage. The couple had dated for less than one year and the news was met with apprehension by her fans. Otunga accompanied Hudson throughout Spring and Autumn 2008 on various promotional events for her films, as well as debut album. In November 2008, he started training to become a professional wrestler and is currently wrestling for Florida Championship Wrestling, which is a developmental territory for the WWE, under the name Dawson Alexander. In August 2009, Hudson gave birth to her first child with Otunga; a boy named David Daniel Otunga Jr.
Hudson owns three Pomeranian dogs named Dreamgirl, Oscar and Grammy.
On October 24, 2008, Hudson’s 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donnerson, and the singer’s 29-year-old brother, Jason, were found shot to death inside Donnerson’s Chicago, Illinois home of Hudson’s sister, Julia. An AMBER Alert was issued for Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, after Hudson’s elder sister, Julia, reported him missing.
Later that day, Chicago police arrested a suspect, William Balfour, 27, the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister Julia, but he was not charged with the crime. Balfour was on parole and had spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen vehicle. The Illinois Department of Corrections’ records revealed one of Balfour’s addresses to be the home where Donnerson and Jason Hudson were murdered.
Three days later, on October 27, 2008, the body of a young boy was found inside a 1994 Chevrolet Suburban parked on a street in Chicago’s West Side area. The license plate and the vehicle’s description matched that given in the AMBER Alert. The FBI confirmed the body was that of Julian King.
Autopsy reports released on October 29, 2008 from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office indicated that Julian King’s death was due to “multiple gunshot wounds”.
A gun found in a West Side vacant lot was confirmed to be the murder weapon by Chicago police Superintendent Jody Weis on October 31, 2008. The gun belonged to Jason Hudson and had been missing for months.
Funeral services for the victims were held on November 3 followed by a private service at Chicago’s South Side Apostolic Church of God on November 10.
Hudson’s family announced a foundation for families of murder victims. The Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims was named in honor of Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew.
Because he had not yet been officially charged with the murders, Balfour appeared without an attorney at a thirty-five minute parole violation hearing on November 10, 2008; the hearing decision was that he was believed to have violated parole and should be held in custody until a December 3 hearing before the full Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
Jennifer Hudson sings National Anthem at Super Bowl XLIII
Balfour became the prime suspect on December 1, 2008, and was transferred into police custody. A police department spokesperson said, “He is awaiting formal charges for three counts of murder. There likely will be a press conference once there are formal charges against him.” Balfour was officially charged with three counts of first degree murder, one count of home invasion and was denied bail.[63] Balfour was indicted for the murders on December 30, 2008 and in a January 27, 2009 court appearance pleaded not guilty.
On February 1, 2009, Hudson made her first public appearance since the murders, singing the Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XLIII.
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