Jennifer Hudson Family Murder Trial Seats Its Jury

Twelve citizens will sit in judgment of star's brother-in-law who's on trial for murdering her mother, brother and nephew

By Josh Grossberg Apr 10, 2012 9:25 PMTags
Jennifer HudsonSplash News

The jury selection is complete, and now the murder trial of William Balfour, the man accused of killing Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew, can begin.

So what do we know about the seated jurors?

Per the Chicago Sun-Times, the dozen jurors and six alternates chosen include an acrobat as well a retired Chicago Transit Authority dispatcher whose son was the victim of a shooting that left him a paraplegic.

Other jurors chosen reportedly told the court that they had family members who had been victims of violent crimes, including murder and a throat slashing.

Balfour has been charged in the shooting death of Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donerson, her 29-year-old brother, Jason Hudson, and her nephew Julian King.

The trial is expected to hinge on the whereabouts of the ex-con when the slayings took place and gun residue found on his car's steeling wheel that prosecutors say links him to the crime.

The Oscar winner reportedly plans to attend every day of the proceedings.

Given Hudson's connection to the case, Cook County Judge Charles Burns included nine questions on the jury questionnaire given to prospective panelists that addressed her career to head off the possibility her star power might interfere with jurors rendering a fair verdict.

Defense attorneys dismissed a number of folks who professed to be fans of Hudson out of concern that her celebrity status could predispose them against their client.

Opening statements are scheduled to kick off April 23.