Man Who Killed Jennifer Hudson's Family Claims The Cops Set Him Up

The man found guilty of killing Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson’s mom, brother and 7-year-old nephew claimed he is innocent more than seven years after the slayings and said his conviction was the result of a grand police-concocted “conspiracy.”

“I didn't have nothing to do with her family being killed. Period,” Hudson’s former brother-in-law William Balfour told ABC 7 in his first interview since the ghastly 2008 murders. “I didn't have nothing to do with the case and don't know who had anything to do with the case.”

Balfour was sentenced in 2012 to life in prison without parole for the October 24, 2008 shooting deaths of Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donerson, her 29-year-old brother, Jason Hudson, and her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King. The adults were found dead inside their Chicago home, while Julian's body was found in a car Balfour had stolen.

Prosecutors said Balfour — who was married to but estranged from Hudson’s older sister, Julia Hudson at the time of the killings — was a jealous man who stalked his wife’s family after she moved out in early 2008. He was on parole for an attempted 1992 murder when he was arrested.

But Balfour claimed he was set up. All the evidence against him — the gun residue found on his clothing, the witnesses who saw him near the crime scene — were made up by police.

“To hear you describe it, this was a huge conspiracy,” the interviewer said.

“Exactly, exactly,” he replied.

During the murder trial, Julia Hudson testified that Balfour — a career criminal previously convicted on gang, drug and carjacking charges — threatened to kill her multiple times, a claim Balfour rejected in his first-ever interview.

“We wasn't even in a relationship anymore,” he said.

Witnesses said Balfour was carrying a distinctive black-and-silver pistol on the day of the shootings — the exact same kind police would later determine were used in the murders. Balfour claimed those people were lying.

“Did you ever have the gun?” a reported asked the convicted murderer.

“No. Not one time,” he replied.

After he was found guilty on three counts of murder, Balfour faced a mandatory life sentence. Illinois does not have the death penalty.

“You have the heart of an arctic night," Cook County Circuit Judge Charles Burns told Balfour during the 2012 sentencing. "Your soul is as barren as dark space."

Balfour only spoke briefly at the hearing to maintain his innocence and profess his love for the slain 7-year-old. He repeated those sentiments during the jailhouse interview.

“This was a child that I used to see all the time, tried to get him to ride a bike, all the time,” he said. “Do I miss him? Yeah. Do I love him? Yeah.”

When asked why someone would kill a child, Balfour had nothing but harsh condemnation.

“Heartless, straight heartless. He isn't got no family morals — nothing,” he barked.

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