Boy’s body identified as Hudson’s nephew
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
CHICAGO — Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson helped positively identify the body of her young nephew Monday, hours after he was found with gunshot wounds in a sport-utility vehicle on Chicago’s West Side, authorities said.
An autopsy was scheduled to be done on the body of 7-year-old Julian King today at the Cook County medical examiner’s office, where Hudson and other relatives went to help identify the boy Monday afternoon.
A law enforcement source told the Chicago Tribune that the boy had been shot multiple times in the back of the white Chevrolet Suburban. The vehicle had been the subject of an intense search and Amber Alert issued Friday after Hudson’s mother and brother were found shot and killed inside the family’s South Side home.
Chicago police brought Julian’s body to the medical examiner’s office shortly after noon and Hudson and other family members arrived about three hours later, said office spokesman Sean Howard.
When the group entered a viewing room at the office Hudson held her head down, as if praying, he said. The family then identified Julian via a video screen mounted on a wall that showed his face. The family chose the video screen option rather than looking directly at the body, Howard said.
The family was “obviously distraught,” but Howard said Hudson “remained strong for her family. It was very clear she was the leader.
“She held hands with her family. It was obviously a very emotional moment.”
When they saw the boy’s face on the screen, Hudson told investigators, “Yes, that is him,” Howard said.
Police found the bodies of Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, on Friday afternoon after a family member came to their home and saw signs of violence inside. The murders sparked a manhunt for William Balfour, 27, and a search for Julian.
Police were called shortly after 7 a.m. Monday after the white Suburban was noticed by a 75-year-old resident, John Louden. He said he has lived on his block for 18 years. He saw the SUV while walking his dog. After a double-take, he realized the license plate matched the one police were looking for.
“I didn’t look in there. I didn’t touch it. I knew it was a strange vehicle,” Louden said.
He said police showed up in about five minutes after his wife called them. They discovered the child inside.
Balfour, the estranged husband of the boy’s mother, Julia Hudson, was brought in for questioning Friday night. He was initially described by police as a suspect in the investigation.