The attorney representing the man charged with killing Jennifer Hudson’s family members has quit, The Chicago Sun-Times reports. Ironically, in recent weeks the judge presiding over the case granted the defendant, William Balfour, the right to move closer to Chicago, so he could be closer to his attorney, Joshua Kutnick. The lawyer did say, however, that he believes that Balfour is innocent of charges that he shot to death the Oscar Award-winning singer’s mother, brother and nephew in their Chicago home in October. Kutnick told the Sun-Times that he cannot afford to take on the load of such a high-profile case by himself. “It’s the kind of case that involves intense hours,” Kutnick said, reportedly after breaking the news to Balfour’s mother. “I was gathering all resources, but I couldn’t finance it.” Following Kutnick’s request, his 27-year-old client was transferred from the Statesville Correctional Center in Joliet, Ill., to the Cook County Jail late last month. The public defender’s office has now appointed a new attorney to his case. Balfour has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion. There is no forensic evidence to tie Balfour to the murders, Kutnick said earlier.

 Oscar-Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson’s brother-in-law pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges he shot to death her mother and brother and the 7-year-old nephew. Twenty-seven-year-old William Balfour, who is married to Jennifer Hudson’s sister, Julia Hudson, is charged with killing his sisters’ mother, Darnell Donerson, their brother, Jason Hudson, and Julia Hudson’s 7-year-old son, Julian King. Read the rest here.

 The estranged brother-in-law of Oscar-winning actress/singer Jennifer Hudson’s was indicted Tuesday in the murders of Hudson’s mother, brother and young nephew. William Balfour, 27, who was married to Jennifer Hudson’s sister, Julia, was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion, according to Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton. Balfour went into a bloody rage because he was upset that Julia was dating another man, prosecutors say. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Jan. 20. Police say that Julia Hudson argued with Balfour at the Hudson home. Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were shot to death in the home, but Julia was not there. Julian, 7, was found dead three days later in an SUV on the West Side. Police found a .45-caliber pistol in bushes near the place where the SUV was parked in late October. Ballistics tests linked the weapon to the murders, according to police sources.

Jealousy is blamed in the Hudson family murders. A prosecutor said that Jennifer Hudson’s brother-in-law killed three of her relatives – with a gun stolen from one of the victims – because he was angry his estranged wife, the singer’s sister, was dating another man. Read the rest here.

Police say they’ve got the murderer of Hudson’s family.  Police formally charged the estranged brother-in-law of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson on Tuesday with murders in the shooting deaths of Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew. Despite questions from the suspect’s mother, police said on Tuesday that they were confident that evidence was sufficient to convict William Balfour, 27, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson’s elder sister, Julia, for the crimes, Reuters reports. “You can never always know how a jury will decide a case, but I’m confident the evidence is there and I’m confident we’ll be successful,” Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis said. They had the murder weapon and physical evidence as well as the testimony that would convict Balfour. The motive for the October 24 murders, police said, was a dispute between the two Julia and Balfour.

Jennifer Hudson’s bro-in-law awaits formal charges. The estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson, arrested Monday, is in a Chicago jail this morning, awaiting formal charges in the slaying of the singer/actress’s mother, brother and nephew. William Balfour went from person of interest to prime suspect Monday when police arrested him in connection with the Oct. 24 shooting deaths of the Dreamgirls star’s relatives. Read the rest here.

Student says singer’s brother-in-law tried to leave town.  The only person who police have publicly connected with the Jennifer Hudson family murder case reportedly tried to leave town the day of the killings. Mississippi college student Rashia Whitlock tells investigators that William Balfour, Hudson’s estranged brother-in-law, called Oct. 24 at 4 a.m. Balfour said he and his “boys” were “getting ready for something real big that’s going to go down tomorrow,” Whitlock tells The Chicago Sun-Times. Read the rest here.

Jennifer Hudson’s bro-in-law could go free today. William Balfour, who’s been held on a parole violation and questioned about the shootings of a singer’s family, could go free today. Balfour, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson’s estranged brother-in-law, is scheduled for a parole hearing in Illinois this morning. Read the rest here.

Jennifer Hudson family to be buried today. A week after they were found shot to death, three members of singer Jennifer Hudson’s family will be buried in Chicago. Funeral services for Hudson’s mom Darnell Donerson, brother Jason Hudson and nephew Julian King will be held today. No one has been charged in the killings, but a man who was once close to the family remains in custody. William Balfour, estranged husband to the singer’s sister, is being held on a parole violation and is believed to have information about the deaths. Meanwhile, police reportedly are investigating whether the murder weapon may have once belonged to Jason Hudson. Police say his gun was stolen from the house a few months ago and could be a match for the gun used in the killings. Click here to read about Balfour’s response to taking a lie detector and get more updates on the Hudson family tragedy here.

Hudson Murder Suspect Won’t Take Polygraph; Funeral Plans Made 

Jennifer Hudson’s brother-in-law and main suspect in her family’s murder case is telling police that they can forget about him taking a lie-detector test. According to The Associated Press, the moment that investigators asked William Balfour to take a polygraph examination, he “stopped cooperating” with detectives.  Read the rest here.