Trial set for man accused of killing singer Jennifer Hudson's family

The man accused of killing three relatives of singer and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson on Chicago’s South Side in 2008 will stand trial for murder in April, a judge said Thursday.

Cook County Circuit Judge Charles Burns set jury selection for April 9 in the trial of William Balfour, who’s charged with first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and home invasion in the October 2008 slayings of Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew.

Testimony is expected to begin April 23.

Balfour was the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister, Julia.

Prosecutors say Balfour – in a jealous rage because Julia Hudson was dating another man – drove to the Hudson family home in Englewood on Oct. 24, 2008, and fatally shot Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother Jason Hudson, 29, then grabbed Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew Julian King and shot him inside Jason Hudson’s SUV, which he then left parked on the city’s West Side. Investigators found Julian’s body three days later inside the SUV.

Balfour’s lawyers had previously gotten his trial delayed and were seeking a further delay Thursday, saying they needed more time.