New trial denied in Hudson family killings

[July 25, 2012]  CHICAGO (AP) -- An Illinois judge has denied a new trial for the man convicted of killing Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew.

Cook County Circuit Judge Charles Burns denied William Balfour's request Tuesday. Balfour's sentencing hearing is expected to begin later in the day. He faces a mandatory life sentence. Jennifer Hudson was present in court for the proceedings.

The hearing comes a little more than two months after a jury convicted Balfour in the 2008 shooting deaths of Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donerson, her 29-year-old brother Jason Hudson, and her nephew, Julian King.

Balfour was married to Hudson's sister, and prosecutors contend he shot the family members in a jealous rage because she was dating another man.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.