Salon.com > Michael Tarm

Evidence now focus after Jennifer Hudson testifies

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:04:00 +0000

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago prosecutors created a buzz by calling Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson as their first witness during the trial of the man accused of killing her mother, brother and nephew. But the hard part starts Tuesday, when they'll have to get down to the nitty-gritty of their case.

With no surviving witnesses to the murders, prosecutors must offer overwhelming circumstantial evidence that William Balfour, the ex-husband of Hudson's sister, committed the grisly crime on Oct. 24, 2008. They are expected to introduce evidence in the next few days that includes cellphone records and security-camera footage that place Balfour in the area of the killings, since he denies he was there.

Another challenge will be tying Balfour to the alleged murder weapon, a silver and black .45-calibre handgun that sat Monday on a stack of papers at the prosecution table in plain view of jurors and Hudson, who testified — and attracted a large crowd of national and local media — earlier in the day.

Public defender Amy Thompson told jurors during her opening statement that DNA found on the gun didn't match Balfour, which "absolutely, positively" excludes him as the killer. But prosecutors claim that Balfour targeted the family in a horrific act of vindictiveness against his ex-wife.

Jennifer Hudson breaks down during murder trial

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:11:41 +0000

CHICAGO (AP) — Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson struggled to hold back tears Monday while testifying at the trial of the man accused of killing her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in a jealous rage four years ago.

Hudson was the first witness called after prosecutors and attorneys for William Balfour finished their opening statements.

The singer and actress, who wore a subdued black dress and whose hair was wrapped in a bun, responded to prosecutors' questions softly but confidently and when asked to identify the defendant, poked her head around the judge's bench and pointed at Balfour.

"He's sitting right there," she said.

Her voice broke, though, as she started to describe her reaction when her sister, Julia Hudson, told her she was going to marry Balfour.

"None of us wanted her to marry him," she said, her voice cracking and struggling to hold back tears. "We did not like how he treated her," she said.

Balfour has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in the October 2008 slayings. He showed little emotion during opening statements, and slumped in his chair with his hand on his chin or elbows resting on the defense table.

Trial begins in slaying of Hudson family members

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:36:01 +0000

CHICAGO (AP) — The trial began Monday for the man accused of killing Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew four years ago, and although the Oscar-winning actress and singer was in the building, she wouldn't be present for opening statements, an official said.

Hudson's fiancé, David Otunga, sat in the fourth row of the Cook County courtroom gallery and stared as defendant William Balfour walked in wearing a white dress shirt and tie.

Courtroom spokesman Terry Sullivan said Hudson was in the building, but would not be in the courtroom during opening statements. He didn't elaborate.

The 30-year-old actress and singer is among 300 potential witnesses who could be called to testify.

Balfour is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the 2008 slayings.

Prosecutors say a gift of balloons sent Hudson's then brother-in-law into such a jealous rage on Oct. 24, 2008, that he shot dead her mother, brother and nephew in a horrific act of vindictiveness in the home where the Hollywood star grew up.

Balfour believed the balloons he saw at the Hudson home came from Julia Hudson's new boyfriend; driving away for her job as a school bus driver, she glimpsed Balfour in her mirror still lingering outside, prosecutors have said.

Hudson family murder trial starts in earnest

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:10:29 +0000

CHICAGO (AP) — A gift of balloons. That, prosecutors contend, is what sent singer Jennifer Hudson's then brother-in-law into such a jealous rage that he shot dead her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in a horrific act of vindictiveness in the home where the Hollywood star grew up.

A prosecutor is expected to tell jurors that Monday during opening statements at the trial of William Balfour — charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the Oct. 24, 2008, slayings that generated nationwide headlines because of Hudson's fame.

The estranged husband of Hudson's sister, Balfour believed the balloons he saw at the Hudson home came from Julia Hudson's new boyfriend; driving away for her job as a school bus driver, she glimpsed Balfour in her mirror still lingering outside, prosecutors have said.

They say Balfour went back inside the three-story house around 9 a.m. and used a .45-caliber handgun to kill Hudson's mother, 57-year-old Darnell Donerson, in the living room — then shot her 29-year-old brother, Jason Hudson, twice in the head as he lay in bed.

Jury convicts Blagojevich at retrial

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:20:00 +0000

A jury has convicted Rod Blagojevich of trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat and other corruption charges.

Jurors delivered their verdicts Monday after deliberating nine days.

Blagojevich had faced 20 charges, including that he sought to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat and schemed to shake down executives for campaign donations.

Blagojevich testified for seven days, denying wrongdoing. Prosecutors said he lied and the proof was on FBI wiretaps. Those included a widely parodied clip in which Blagojevich calls the Senate opportunity "f------ golden."

Jurors in his first trial deadlocked on all but one charge, convicting Blagojevich of lying to the FBI. Prosecutors opted to try him again.

Blagojevich already faces up to five years for the lying conviction.

Blagojevich asks judge to cancel retrial

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:58:00 +0000

The impeached former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, asked a judge on Wednesday to cancel his retrial and promptly sentence him on the sole conviction from his first trial, arguing that money woes prevent him from mounting an ample defense.

A five-page motion filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago insists that Blagojevich isn't conceding any guilt, including on the conviction of lying to the FBI. That's the lone count jurors agreed on at his otherwise deadlocked trial last year.

The motion says the broke ex-governor, whose legal bills are supposed to be paid by the government, wants to forego a retrial on grounds that none of his lawyers have been paid for months of pretrial preparations.

"Should this motion be granted . . . funds for the second trial would no longer be necessary," the motions says. An added bonus, it continues, would be "no further cost to taxpayers."

Blagojevich, 54, faces a maximum five-year prison term for the lying count. It was widely expected that a sentencing date for that conviction would only be set after the retrial was over.

At that trial do-over, currently scheduled to start on April 20, Blagojevich faces 20 charges, including that he sought to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat in exchange for a top job or campaign cash.

Midwest buckles under storm, calls it a snow day

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:05:00 +0000

A colossal blizzard roaring across a third of the country paralyzed the nation's heartland with ice and snow, leaving motorists stranded for hours and shuttering airports and schools as it barreled toward the Northeast.

The monstrous storm billed as the worst in decades delivered knock-out after knock-out as it made its way from Texas to Maine, bringing a huge swath of the country to a halt.

In New York, Mike Schumaker was already into his fourth hour of what he predicted would be a 24-hour plowing marathon as he cleared snow from a suburban Albany gas station around 5 a.m. Wednesday.

"I figure I'll be going to about 1 or 2 in the morning. That's my guess," said the 42-year-old private contractor from Latham.

"It's not so much about plowing as it is about to where to put it," he said. "We still have snow from Christmas that hasn't melted."

In Chicago, the city shut down Lake Shore Drive for the first time in years, an untold number of motorists stranded overnight after multiple car accidents on the iconic roadway.

TSA urges holiday travelers to cooperate

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Holiday travelers dismayed by airport body scans planned protests at bustling airports Wednesday, while the head of the nation's transport security agency urged passengers to comply with searches to reduce the possibility of delays on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

A loosely organized effort dubbed National Opt-Out Day plans to use flyers, T-shirts and, in one case, a Scottish kilt to highlight what some call unnecessarily intrusive security screenings. Others feared holdups: More than 40 million people plan to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to AAA, with just more than 1.6 million flying -- a 3.5 percent increase in fliers from last year.

Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole told ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday that his agency is "fully staffed" to deal with problems, but that travelers should expect delays because of the planned protests at airports across the country.

"I just feel bad for the traveling public that's just trying to get home for the holidays," Pistole said, noting that TSA screeners "just want to get you through."

No serious disruptions were reported at any major airports early Wednesday.

Judge says Blagojevich jurors will get transcript

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:47:00 +0000

Jurors in the trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich asked the judge Monday for a transcript of the entire testimony of a former deputy governor who criticized Blagojevich's attempt to raise campaign money through the brother of Rahm Emanuel.

Former deputy governor Bradley Tusk had testified that Blagojevich had planned to hold up a $2 million grant to a school in the district represented by Emanuel -- then a U.S. congressman and now White House chief of staff -- until Emanuel's Hollywood-agent brother held a fundraiser.

Tusk had said that he ignored a Blagojevich directive to deliver the message to Emanuel -- because, he said, he thought the plan was "both illegal and unethical."

After hearing objections from defense attorneys, Judge James B. Zagel granted the jurors' request but also said they should make their own assessment of Tusk's credibility. It wasn't immediately clear how soon jurors would receive the transcripts.

Jurors had returned to court Monday for their 13th day of deliberations. They created a stir last week with a note to Zagel signaling they're stuck on several of the 24 counts against Blagojevich. They say they've agreed to only two. Zagel told them to deliberate further on wire fraud counts that they had not considered.

Blagojevich jurors tell judge they are stalled

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:20:00 +0000

The jury's message that it is deadlocked on a number of charges in the corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich raised as many questions as answers Thursday, but some legal experts agreed it was better news for the disgraced former governor than for prosecutors.

In a note read in court by Judge James Zagel, jurors said they had only managed to agree on two of 24 counts against Blagojevich, and had not even begun discussing 11 of the counts.

On the 12th day of deliberations, Zagel instructed the jury to go back and continue their work, but the panel's disclosure sparked speculation that some jurors had doubts about the prosecution's case.

"It's a victory for the defense for several reasons," said Douglas Godfrey, a law professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, arguing that the way the government had presented its case was extremely complex. "If the jury hangs on 22, it's a big blow to government."

Michael Helfand, a Chicago defense attorney not involved in the case, agreed there was potentially positive news in the note for Blagojevich.

"The defense has every reason to be thrilled," Helfand said. "This jury has been deliberating for such a long time, the chances of someone changing their mind now aren't good."

Lawyers: Blagojevich won’t testify

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:21:00 +0000

Rod Blagojevich's attorneys say the ousted Illinois governor will not testify at his corruption trial. They promptly rested the defense case.

Blagojevich had long pledged to take the stand in his own defense, saying for months that he wanted to do so to set the record straight.

But his attorneys initially said Tuesday they could rest the case without calling a single witness. They confirmed that Wednesday. They say the prosecution did not prove its case.

Experts have said putting Blagojevich on the stand could be risky.

Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to scheming to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's old Senate seat and to scheming to launch a racketeering operation in the governor's office.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Rod Blagojevich's attorneys say the ousted Illinois governor will not testify at his corruption trial.