Jennifer Hudson Breaks Down On The Stand At Murder Trial

Chicago native was the first witness called in trial for family murders

Vocal powerhouse Jennifer Hudson struggled to keep it together during the first day in the trial of the man who murdered her mother, brother and nephew nearly four years ago.

On Monday, the award-winning actress was the first witness called to testify against her deceased sister’s 30-year-old ex-husband husband, William Balfour. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Root, which had a seat in the Chicago courtroom, provided color of the trial proceedings:

The often glamorously attired performer (Hudson) was dressed in an understated black dress, with her hair pulled back into a bun. She broke down in tears on several occasions during her testimony.

"I saw them at my house," Hudson said in answer to a prosecutor's question as she choked back tears. "This time it was the whole family the weekend before it all happened: my brother, my mom, sister and nephew, and they even brought Dreamgirl [the dog]." Hudson also said that she knew something was wrong the day of the murders because she and her mother would normally text and call several times a day, and she wasn't hearing back from her mother.

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Balfour is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and home invasion in the deaths of 57-year-old Darnell Donerson, Hudson’s mother; 29-year-old Jason Hudson, her brother; and 7-year-old Julian King, Hudson’s nephew.

The trial proceedings are open to the public, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office announced last week.

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