In their joint statement released after Balfour was convicted of murdering their family members, the 'Where You At' singer and her sister thank God, prosecutors, and authorities involved in the case.
- May 12, 2012
AceShowbiz - Jennifer Hudson has finally got justice for the brutal murder of her mother, brother and young nephew. On Friday, May 11, after about 18 hours of deliberations, the jury in Chicago found her former brother-in-law, William Balfour, guilty on three counts of first-degree murder. Despite the win, the Grammy winner still expressed sympathy to the Balfour family.
Hours after the Balfour was convicted of the murder, the "American Idol" alum and her sister, Julia, issued a joint statement regarding the verdict. Posted on her website, the statement read, "We want to extend a prayer from the Hudson family to the Balfour family. We have all suffered terrible loss in this tragedy."
"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them (2 Corinthian 4:3-4)," it continued. "It is our prayer that the Lord will forgive Mr. Balfour of these heinous acts and bring his heart into repentance someday."
Jennifer and Julia also let others know how grateful they are. "We have many people to thank but our first thank you is to God, always," they said. "We are so grateful to prosecutors James McKay, Jennifer Bagby and Veryl Gambino and State's Attorney Anita Alvarez and her team for their dedication and tireless work from the beginning."
"We have the best police department and they have been with us every step of the way," the Hudson sisters also gave their appreciation to the others involved in the case. "We thank all of the State's witnesses who came forward on our behalf. We have felt the love and support from people all over the world and we're very grateful."
Both Jennifer and Julia were present when the jury delivered their verdict on Friday. It was reported that the "Dreamgirls" star, who was joined by fiance David Otunga, broke down in tears as she heard the verdict. Before she sobbed on her fiance's shoulder, she allegedly looked at her sister and smiled. William now faces a mandatory life sentence in prison.
The murder trial itself was kicked off on April 23. Jennifer served as the first witness called to testify, and revealed during her testimony that she had repeatedly told her sister Julia not to marry William. "I told her over and over again to not marry him," she told the court with a trembling voice. "We did not like how he treated her."
