Chronicling trends in entertainment, pop culture, politics, the arts, and the uncategorized et cetera.

Shallow Nation

October 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm

Reports: Body Found May Be Jennifer Hudson’s Nephew Julian King UPDATE: Confirmed

Jennifer Hudson's nephew, Julian King

The tragedy compounds for Oscar winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson and her family. Reports indicate that a body has been found that may be that of her nephew Julian King (pictured above).

UPDATE. As was feared, the child was Julian King and Jennifer Hudson helped ID the body

A law enforcement source told the Tribune that the boy had been shot multiple times in the back of the white Chevrolet Suburban. The vehicle had been the subject of an intense search and Amber Alert issued on Friday after Hudson’s mother and brother were found shot and killed inside the family’s South Side home.

Chicago police brought Julian’s body to the medical examiner’s office shortly after noon today and Hudson and other family members arrived about three hours later, said office spokesman Sean Howard.

When the group entered a viewing room at the office Hudson held her head down, as if praying, he said. The family then identified Julian via a video screen mounted on a wall that showed his face. The family chose the video screen option rather than looking directly at the body, Howard said.

The family was “obviously distraught,” but Howard said Hudson “remained strong for her family. It was very clear she was the leader.

“She held hands with her family. It was obviously a very emotional moment.”

Source: Jennifer Hudson IDs nephew’s body; child shot, sources say

Here is video of the Chicago Police Dept. press conference on October 27, 2008

Previously….

Investigators were working today to identify the body of a child found in a car on Chicago’s West Side, while family members of Oscar-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson assumed the worst–that this was her missing nephew.

The body was found in the white Chevrolet Suburban that police were looking for in their search for 7-year-old Julian King, three days after the bodies of Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother were found shot to death in the mother’s house in Englewood.

Hudson family members were expected at the medical examiner’s office this afternoon to identify the body.
Police arrived at the Suburban with Illinois license plate X584859 before 8 a.m. in the 1300 block of South Kolin Avenue, after receiving a call of a suspicious vehicle. […]

As the car was processed by evidence technicians and workers at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office sought to identify the body, Hudson’s family members and supporters assumed this was the third member of her family killed since Friday.

“It’s shocking. It’s unreal. We had been praying that it would not come to this,” said Rev. Krista Alston, a cousin of Hudson and a minister at the Pleasant Gift Baptist Church in Chicago. “We know it’s a reality now, but it’s still shocking.”

Jennifer Hudson with her mother Darnell Hudson Donerson

Jennifer Husdson, with her mother, Darnell Donerson in December, 2006 (Photo credit: WireImage)

Police found the bodies of Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, on Friday afternoon after a family member came to their home in the 7000 block of South Yale Avenue and saw signs of violence inside. The murders was missing sparked a manhunt for Balfour and a search for 7-year-old Julian King.

Balfour was brought in for questioning Friday night.

The boy remained missing through a long weekend in which police and volunteers posted fliers around the city with pictures of the boy. On Sunday, his actress aunt–grieving and rushing to Chicago from Florida where she was promoting a film–offering a $100,000 reward to anyone who found the boy.

Chicago police have been interviewing William Balfour, 27, the estranged husband of the boy’s mother, Julia Hudson. He was initially described by police as a suspect in the investigation.

Source: Chicago Breaking News

Photo: Jennifer Hudson’s nephew, Julian King via her MySpace page, via Fox News

The well-sourced TMZ and MediaTakeOut.com have exclusive updates.

CBS2Chicago has a slideshow: Jennifer Hudson Family Tragedy