William Balfour to girlfriend: I was involved in Hudson murders

William Balfour, the only individual to be identified as a “person of interest” in the shootings of Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother, allegedly told his girlfriend he was involved in the murders, sources told the Chicago Tribune.

However, Balfour’s girlfriend reportedly told police that he was not involved in the death of Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King. Julian, the son of Jennifer’s sister (and Balfour’s estranged wife) Julia, went missing around the time of the shootings. His body was later discovered in an SUV on the South Side of Chicago.

Law enforcement officials reportedly told the Tribune that Balfour allegedly stated that he was at the Hudsons’ home the morning of the murders.

Darnell Donerson and Jason Hudson, the mother and brother of Oscar winner Jennifer, were found dead on the afternoon of Oct. 24 in their home on the South Side of Chicago.

Balfour had been on parole since his 2006 release from prison after a 1999 conviction for attempted murder until he was reportedly taken into police custody at around 6 PM on the day of the murders. He has not been charged in the case, though he was reportedly returned to prison on a parole violation after being held for 48 hours.

The day of the murders, he reportedly missed a meeting with his parole officer and told him that he was “babysitting on the West Side,” according to the Associated Press.

The Tribune reported that upon his arrest, he answered officers’ questions until offered a lie-detector test, which he refused to take.

Balfour is scheduled to have a hearing before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board at 9 AM on Monday, at which time he could be set free or held for further hearings should the board find probable cause that he has violated his parole or committed a crime.