Jennifer Hudson Is 7 Months Pregnant

Felicia Fields, a longtime friend of Jennifer Hudson, confirmed she is 7 months pregnant.

Hudson and David Otunga have kept mum about the pregnancy. They are engaged to be married, but even that's still a secret as to when.

Hudson had a baby shower with friends and family over the weekend in downtown Chicago.

According to Fields, when asked if Hudson received blue or pink gifts, she said, "They don't know [the gender]. More yellow."

William Balfour arrested in Hudson killings

William Balfour was arrested at Stateville Correctional Center and released to detectives as he awaited formal charges in the shooting deaths of the singer and Oscar-winning actress' relatives, said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

The bodies of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were discovered Oct. 24 at the family's home on the South Side of Chicago. The body of 7-year-old Julian King was found three days later in a sport utility vehicle on the West Side. All three had been shot.

Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a "person of interest" in the investigation. He had not been charged by late Monday afternoon, said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.

Police took Balfour into custody the same day the bodies of Donerson and Hudson were discovered. After 48 hours — the longest Chicago police can hold a person without charges — Balfour was taken by the Illinois Department of Corrections on the suspected parole violation.

Balfour — Julian's stepfather and the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's older sister, Julia Hudson — served seven years for a 1999 attempted murder and vehicular hijacking conviction.

His mother, Michelle Balfour of Chicago, has denied that her son had anything to do with the deaths. Telephone numbers for Balfour's mother and sister were disconnected Monday.

Balfour had refused to take a lie-detector test and stopped cooperating with detectives in the case, a police official, who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, has said.

Police have confirmed they found the gun used in the killings. The .45-caliber gun was discovered Oct. 29 in a vacant lot in the West Side neighborhood where the King's body was found a few days earlier.

Bond declined to discuss any evidence Monday. But after a hearing at the prison, the chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board said a woman had told authorities that a gun used in the slayings was "identical" to the gun that was recovered.

At the time, board Chairman Jorge Montes said the evidence was key to a decision finding probable cause that Balfour violated his parole and should remain locked up pending a Dec. 3 hearing before a review board panel.

Balfour did not have an attorney at the November hearing, and the Cook County public defender's office said at the time that nobody from the office had been assigned because he was not formally charged with a crime.

No one in the public defender's office was assigned to Balfour's case late Monday, and it' was not clear whether he had other representation.

Private Memorial For Jennifer Hudson's Family Set For Monday

Anyone looking to attend Jennifer Hudson's family private memorial service will soon find out that it will be an invitation only service. The service is set for Monday Nov. 3.

Sometimes it's just hard to believe you have people that can be so cold hearted. My Condolences goes out to the Hudson family. May the day come that the person responsible for this is brought to trial. It won't take away the pain from the Hudson family, but it will bring closure.

For the past few days more and more details are coming out. I know the police have to keep what information they do have secret so they don't blow any leads they do have. Just such a tragedy to hear what's being reported out in the news. How can someone wake up in the morning knowing he is responsible for several murders? That is just beyond me.

On Friday, an announcement will be made to address whether a public service will be held, according to the Hudson Funeral Home, which is handling the funeral and memorial arrangements.

Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were shot and killed Friday morning at their Chicago home. Julian King, the 7-year-old son of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia, was found dead Monday morning in Jason Hudson's SUV, which was taken from the home.

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris, who is a friend of Jennifer Hudson's, will donate a jersey to help pay tribute to one of the victims, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

"I would like to give them a personal jersey," Harris said Wednesday. "A lot of times you try to understand things but you can't fathom that, losing three loved ones within three days. It's very difficult and my prayers are with the family. It's hard but you just have to try not to lose faith in God."

On Wedneday, the Tribune reported that Chicago police believe more than one person may have been involved in the killings. William Balfour, Julia Hudson's estranged husband and the only person to be detained by police thus far in the case, remains in police custody for a parole violation, although he has not been charged in connection with the Hudson family murders.

A private memorial service will be held in Chicago on Monday for Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. The service is for invited guests only.

FBI says body found is that of Hudson's nephew, 7

A top FBI official said Monday that a body found in an SUV is believed to be that of Jennifer Hudson's missing 7-year-old nephew, the focus of a desperate search since the Oscar winner's mother and brother were found shot to death in their home three days earlier.

While the body has not been positively identified, FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole said authorities believe it to be that of Julian King, who also lived in the home.

Chicago police said the body of a black male child was found shortly after 7 a.m. in the rear seat of an SUV. An autopsy was planned for Tuesday.

The SUV was found parked on the street in a neighborhood of brownstone homes and apartment buildings, and matched the one sought in an Amber Alert issued after Hudson's mother and brother were found slain Friday, police Cmdr. Wayne Gulliford said.

In Washington, Pistole said at a news conference on child exploitation that authorities found a body "who we believe to be the missing victim in Chicago, the nephew of Jennifer Hudson. We are working with Chicago police to get a positive identification of the victim."

Hudson had offered $100,000 Sunday for information leading to Julian's safe return. He is the son of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson. Telephone and e-mail messages left Monday for Hudson's publicist, who had been releasing statements on behalf of the family, were not answered.

Chicago police have characterized the killings as "domestic related" and have been questioning William Balfour, who is the estranged husband of Julia Hudson and is being held in state custody on a parole violation. Balfour is not the boy's father and has not been charged in the slayings.

Balfour, 27, was taken into custody Friday by Chicago police for questioning in the killings. On Sunday, he was transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections "based on his active parole violation unrelated to this investigation."

Records from the Corrections Department show Balfour is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.

Balfour's mother, Michele Balfour, has said Hudson's mother kicked Balfour out of the family home last winter. She denied her son had anything to do with the killings.

Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith said Balfour would probably remain in state custody until the Illinois Prisoner Review Board looked at his case. She would not say where Balfour was being held, and it was unclear whether Balfour had an attorney.

Hudson, who won an Academy Award in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls," was in Chicago during the weekend. The medical examiner's office confirmed Hudson, 27, identified the bodies of her mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and 29-year-old brother, Jason Hudson. The deaths were ruled homicides.

Neighbors and well-wishers brought stuffed animals and other items to a makeshift memorial outside Donerson's two-story white clapboard home as news of Monday's discovery spread.

"Everybody knows Jennifer Hudson, but I would be here even if it was little Suzy on the corner," said Tacara Juarez, 26, who doesn't know the family but lives in the neighborhood.

On Sunday, Hudson appealed to the public for help, offering the reward and asking any information be given to Chicago police.

"Jennifer and her family appreciate the enormous amount of love, support and prayers they have received while she and her family try to cope with this tragedy and continue the search for Julian," said a statement from her publicist.

Police searching for Jennifer Hudson nephew find body

They have yet to confirm the child's identity but investigators had been searching for both Julian King and the white Chevrolet Suburban sports utility vehicle in which the body was found. It was stolen from the home of Hudson's mother on Friday when both she and Hudson's brother were shot dead.

Julian King, the son of Hudson's sister, Julia, had not been seen since Friday, when police arrested his step-father, William Balfour, who had become estranged from the boy's mother.

He has denied involvement in the killings or the boy's kidnapping but had reportedly stopped talking to investigators.

The body was discovered 14 miles from the house in Englewood, on Chicago's South Side, where the actress and singer's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were killed.

On Sunday, Hudson, who won an Oscar for her role in Dreamgirls, had offered a $100,000 (£65,000) reward for the boy's safe return after her sister made an emotional public plea for her son's life.

Balfour, a baker who has convictions for attempted murder and carjacking, had fallen out with Hudson's family after being asked to move out of the family home last winter.

Hudson, who rose to fame after competing in the television talent show American Idol, has often credited her success with her upbringing in the impoverished Chicago neighbourhood of Englewood.

However, she had encouraged her mother to move away from the crime-ridden area. Miss Donerson refused, saying she did not want her daughter's fame to change her life.

An autopsy showed that Miss Donerson, 59, and Mr Hudson, 29, died from multiple gunshot wounds. The latter's large white four-wheel drive car remains missing.

Neighbours had heard gunshots on Friday morning but were so used to the sound that they ignored them.

Police say they are treating the murders as a "domestic" crime. They now believe the shootings began when a gunman fired through a door and hit Mr Hudson.

The attacker then went into the house and continued to fire, hitting Miss Donerson.

Family friends said Balfour and his wife had recently been arguing over ownership of her car and that Balfour had threatened to take the boy away.

He has denied involvement in the killings or the boy's kidnapping but had reportedly stopped talking to investigators.

Balfour's alibi for the day of the killings has reportedly been contradicted by his girlfriend and that police were able to track his whereabouts on the day through his mobile phone.

Jennifer Hudson identified slain mom's body

Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson identified the the bodies of her mother and brother, who were killed last week in Chicago, the Cook County medical examiner's office told CNN on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Chicago police are handing out fliers as part of a massive search for the nephew of the actress.

Julian Hudson, 7, has not been seen since Friday, the same day Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were found shot to death in their South Side Chicago home.

The sister of the actress made an emotional appeal Saturday for the safe return of her son.

"My greatest fear has already happened, my greatest hope is for having my child. I just want my son," Julia Balfour said. "That's all I have to say. Just let my baby go."

Police have Julia Balfour's husband, William Balfour, in custody. Chicago news station WLS reported Saturday that the boy was not with Balfour when he was detained.

Balfour's mother, Michele Davis-Balfour insisted Saturday that her son had nothing to do with the shootings and urged the public to focus on finding the missing boy.

"Out of no means did my son do this. This heinous crime to this family is unbelievable. It's unbearable," Davis-Balfour told WLS.

"Whoever has Jennifer Hudson's nephew or Julia Balfour's son, please, I'm begging you, me and my family are begging you to return that son."

Police issued an Amber Alert for Julian and asked people to look out for a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban with Illinois license plate X584859.

Julian is described as being 4-feet-11 and 130 pounds. He was wearing a striped brown polo shirt and khaki pants when last seen, authorities said in the Amber Alert.

Chicago police spokesman Daniel O'Brien would not comment Saturday on whether a William Balfour was in custody or whether police had questioned a man by that name.

"Police have and continue to speak with numerous" people, O'Brien said. He said no charges had been filed against anyone in connection with the murders. Watch the police news conference »

William Balfour says on his MySpace page that he is married to Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia and has a stepson.

"I might as well let you all know that Jennifer Hudson is my wife's sister I'm proud of her and wish her nothing but the best in what she do," he wrote.

According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Balfour, 27, is on parole. He spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.

His MySpace page also says he lives on Chicago's South Side.

Deputy Police Chief Joseph Patterson said the bodies were found about 3 p.m. Friday (4 p.m. ET), when a relative arrived and found the body of a woman on the living room floor. The relative backed out of the house and called police, Patterson said. Authorities found a man shot to death in a bedroom.

The Cook County medical examiner's office said Saturday that Donerson and Jason Hudson suffered multiple gunshot wounds and ruled the deaths homicides.

The FBI is working with Chicago police to find Julian, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis said.

The FBI was brought in as a precaution because it would be possible to cross state lines in the amount of time the boy has been missing, which would make any abduction a federal crime, he said.

Neighbors reported hearing gunshots earlier Friday, Patterson said. Authorities found no signs of forced entry to the home and were not sure whether other items were missing.

"You've got two people who were killed inside a home. That alone will produce a great deal of evidence," Weis said of forensic evidence at the crime scene.

Hudson won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Effie in the film version of the Broadway musical "Dreamgirls." She competed on the third season of "American Idol" in 2004, making it to the top seven contestants before being eliminated from the contest.

Jennifer Hudson's nephew missing after slayings

Authorities investigating the shooting deaths of Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were searching for the missing 7-year-old nephew of the Oscar-winning actress.

A suspect in the deaths was in custody Friday night, but young Julian King had not been seen since the bodies of Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were found Friday afternoon.

A family member entering Donerson's South Side home Friday afternoon found the woman shot on the living room floor. Responding officers later found Hanson shot in the bedroom, police said.

At least one of the victims suffered defensive wounds, said authorities who described the shooting as domestic violence.

William Balfour, a man suspected in the deaths, was arrested Friday but had not been charged, law enforcement sources told the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said investigators were talking to "a number of people in custody" but she declined to elaborate. An Amber Alert issued Friday said Balfour was a suspect in the double homicide.

Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle. Public records show one of Balfour's addresses as the home where Donerson and Jason Hudson were shot.

The Cook County medical examiner's office said autopsies for Donerson and Jason Hudson were pending.

Balfour's mother, Michelle, said her son had been married to Hudson's sister, Julia, for several years, but they were separated. She also said Donerson had ordered him to move out of the family's home last winter.

Jennifer Hudson's personal publicist, Lisa Kasteler, said the family wanted privacy.

The tragedy comes as Hudson, who grew up in Chicago, continues to reach new heights in her career. Her song "Spotlight" is No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and her recently released, self-tiled debut album has been a top seller. She was featured in this year's blockbuster "Sex and the City" movie and is also starring in the hit film "The Secret Life of Bees."

She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls." In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with encouraging her to audition for "American Idol," which launched her career.

The singer, whose father died when she was a teenager, described herself as very close to her family. In a recent AP interview she said her family, which includes older siblings Julia and Jason, helped keep her grounded.

"My faith in God and my family, they're very realistic and very normal, they're not into the whole limelight kind of thing, so when I go home to Chicago that's just another place that's home," she said. "I stand in line with everybody else, or, when I go home to my mom I'm just Jennifer, (so she says), 'You get up and you take care of your own stuff.' And I love that; I don't like when people tell you everything you want to hear, I want to hear the truth, you know what I mean."

Hudson recently announced her engagement to David Otunga, best known for his stint on VH1's reality show "I Love New York."

Hudson's representatives would not disclose her whereabouts Friday. She had been scheduled to appear Monday in Los Angeles to collect an ensemble cast honor at the Hollywood Awards for "The Secret Life of Bees" with co-stars including Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning.

Jennifer Hudson’s Mother Shot and Killed

At least one of two people found shot dead Friday at a South Side home was believed to be a relative of Jennifer Hudson, and police were seeking a missing child who might also be related to the singer and Oscar-winning actress.

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the deaths appeared to be the result of domestic abuse. The Cook County medical examiner's office did not immediately identify the victims.

Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson said a family member entered the home around 3 p.m. Friday, found a woman shot on the living room floor and left to notify authorities. Responding officers found a man shot in the bedroom, Patterson said. There was no sign of forced entry.

Public records show the address listed to a Jennifer Hudson and Darnell Donerson, the name of the singer's mother. Police tape blocked access to the large, white house, where a crowd gathered outside.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for 7-year-old Julian King, and were seeking a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban. The child was the grandson of the female victim, Patterson said, and Bond added the boy could also be a relative of Hudson.

The alert said the child was possibly abducted, and accompanied by a man — considered armed and dangerous — who was a suspect in the double homicide investigation. The two could also be in a teal or green Chrysler Concord with a temporary license plate, a left front headlight hanging out and scratches on the left side of the vehicle, police said.

A publicist for Hudson at her record label said she was not aware of any incident involving Hudson's mother. She did not immediately return subsequent messages. An e-mail sent to Hudson's personal publicist was not immediately returned.

The tragedy comes as Hudson, who grew up in Chicago, continues to reach new heights in her career. Her song "Spotlight" is No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and her recently released, self-tiled album debut and has been a top seller. She was featured in this year's blockbuster "Sex and the City" and is also starring in hit movie "The Secret Life of Bees."

She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls." In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with encouraging her to audition for "American Idol," which launched her career.

The singer, whose father died when she was a teenager, described herself as very close to her family. In a recent AP interview she said her family, which includes older siblings Julia and Jason, helped keep her grounded.

"My faith in God and my family, they're very realistic and very normal, they're not into the whole limelight kind of thing, so when I go home to Chicago that's just another place that's home," she said. "I stand in line with everybody else, or, when I go home to my mom I'm just Jennifer, (so she says), 'You get up and you take care of your own stuff.' And I love that; I don't like when people tell you everything you want to hear, I want to hear the truth, you know what I mean."