Jennifer Hudson’s ex-brother-in-law will appeal verdict
Lawyer says he is not guilty
A lawyer for the man convicted of killing singer Jennifer Hudson’s family said she will appeal the verdict.
Cook County Public Defender Amy Thompson has maintained throughout the trial 31-year-old William Balfour did not kill Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in 2008, and that the case against him was circumstantial.
“The one constant in this case is that every piece of DNA evidence absolutely excludes William Balfour,” Thompson said. “The one person in all of Chicago who didn’t do it, is him. That’s what the evidence showed.”
A jury convicted Balfour, the former husband of Jennifer’s sister Julia Hudson, who prosecutors said killed the three family members in a jealous rage because his ex-wife was allegedly dating another man.
Balfour was convicted after 18 hours of deliberation across three days on all seven counts against him which included three counts of first-degree murder, one count of home invasion, one count aggravated kidnapping, one count residential burglary, and one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Balfour now faces a life sentence.
The Jennifer Hudson family murder trial began this week with the singer/actress as the first witness to take the stand. With no surviving witnesses to the murders, prosecutors must offer overwhelming circumstantial evidence that William Balfour, the ex-husband of Hudson’s sister Julia, committed the crime that occurred on Oct. 24, 2008.
Candice Glover could barely remember her own name after she was crowned the new “American Idol” on Thursday.
“I’m still trying to process the whole thing, I don’t even know what’s happening,” she told the press backstage. “It feels amazing though that I finally got to this point; I’ve been working for so long.”
After Beyoncé finished her exhilarating halftime Super Bowl set, she received a hug of support from one of her biggest fans: her husband Jay-Z.
A photo posted to Instagram, reportedly by Beyoncé’s makeup artist, shows the singer embracing her partner with a huge smile plastered on her face.
Jay-Z, who wed Beyoncé in 2008, joined in the jokes on Twitter that his wife’s performance was so electric it knocked out the power in the stadium.
Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera and John Mayer will be among the presenters and performers at the 28th annual Rock and Rock Hall of Fame induction ceremony in April, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum announced.
Hudson and Aguilera have been tapped to perform in honor of new inductee Donna Summer, who died last year.
In December, the Hall of Fame announced the queen of disco was part of the 2013 class of inductees, which also includes Heart, Randy Newman, Public Enemy, Rush and Albert King.
George Zimmerman’s wife, Shellie, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of perjury for allegedly lying under oath at his bond hearing about whether she and her husband had access to any money.
She posted $1,000 bond and was released.
At Zimmerman’s April 20 bond hearing, Shellie Zimmerman, 25, was asked whether the couple had any money.
