Jury selection wrapped up for the trial of William Balfour, accused of murdering Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew. The final four panelists were chosen on the second day of questioning of prospective jurors. click below to find out more.
Among them was a member of an acrobatics group and someone who served on the jury of another murder trial years ago.
The 14 selected earlier to hear evidence against William Balfour included a school teacher, an unemployed bank teller who lives three blocks from court, and a young chocolate-company employee who said her favorite activity outside work was eating and sleeping.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Balfour, 30, wore a blue dress shirt, slacks and a tie, as he watched as nearly 50 potential jurors were questioned by his attorneys and prosecutors during a nine-hour selection process.
Hudson’s celebrity took center stage in many juror interviews. Most potential jurors insisted that despite what they knew about Hudson or had heard about the case, they could assess Balfour’s guilt or innocence strictly according evidence presented in court. Others were not deemed as impartial.
Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister, is accused of shooting to death Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, brother, Jason Hudson, 29, and her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King. Jennifer Hudson is on a 300-name list of potential witnesses and is expected to attend each day of the trial once testimony begins April 23.
