Jennifer Hudson On Oprah's Next Chapter: Forgiven Her Brother-In-Law After Brutal Family Murder
On "Oprah's Next Chapter," Jennifer Hudson said although she has forgiven her brother-in-law for the murder of her immediate family members, she will never forgive the act.
Less than a month after her brother-in-law, William Balfour, was convicted of the Oct. 24, 2008, murder of Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donerson, her 29-year-old brother, Jason, and her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, the singer decided to speak openly about her grief on the OWN network show (which aired Sept. 9).
"I'm not letting him off the hook for anything," Hudson told Oprah Winfrey. However, though she holds him "very responsible" for murdering her immediate family members, Hudson has been able to forgive Balfour.
"I feel like, for the most part, it's not his fault. It's what he was taught. How he was brought up. We tried to offer love, but he was so far gone, he couldn't even see that," Hudson explained. "A lot of things came out [during the trial] that we didn't even know about from his upbringing... He never had a chance. Had he had the love that my mother gave us, or the background that some have, then he would have stood a chance. How could your heart not go out to that?"
On July 24, Balfour, was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Us Weekly.
During the sentencing, Hudson "felt so many things."
"There was definitely a celebration because he's off the streets. My child [David, Jr. 3] is going to be safe," she said.
Hudson's interview with Winfrey was taped on Aug. 14 -- what would have been her nephew's 11th birthday, the publication also reported.
"I haven't been to the grave site since we buried them, but now I want to go because I feel like, 'Okay, we've accomplished this. We've done this. We got justice for you. We can't come back here empty handed,'" Hudson said. "So now I feel like I deserve to be able to see them."
With Balfour behind bars, Hudson feels she's gotten closure, but the tragedy will always stay with her.
"I remember one time when William had an argument with my sister. They had split up he went up to her job and he told her, 'I'm gonna take Julian,'" Hudson shared. "And Julian went home and told my mother, and my mother said, 'Over my dead baby.' That's exactly what happened."
