Speaking about the 2008 murders of her family, the 'Dreamgirls' star says her life was spared because David Otunga wanted her to join him in Florida instead of going home to Chicago.
- November 24, 2011
AceShowbiz -
Jennifer Hudson was supposed to be with her mother, brother and nephew on the day they were murdered in 2008, but she made a decision that spared her life. During an interview in the December/January issue of Ebony, the 30-year-old opened up that instead of going home, she opted to visit fiance David Otunga in Florida.
"That's one of the things that saved my life, because I could have been home with my mom then," the season three contestant of "American Idol" said. She went on to share, "[Otunga] wanted me to come out to Florida with him instead of going to Chicago. I flew out to see him; that's why I'm still here."
Hudson, who won an Oscar for her role in "Dreamgirls", added, "I've never said that before, and I can't believe I just said that now. But I didn't know. He was just like, 'I'm going to this wrestling thing, and it's in Tampa. I'm going out there now, so you can come out there and see me versus going home.' "
Otunga, who is the father of Hudson's 2-year-old son, is a Harvard-trained attorney and professional wrestler. He was at the time working with the World Wrestling Entertainment franchise.
Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were gunned down by William Balfour, a love interest of her sister Julia. Arrested in December 2008, Balfour has since been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion.
