Oct 27,2008 5:31 PMSubject: CONFIRMED: Body found WAS that of Julian King,... Body: Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson helped positively identify the body of her young nephew today, hours after he was found with gunshot wounds in a sport-utility vehicle on Chicago's West Side, authorities said.
An autopsy was scheduled to be done on the body of 7-year-old Julian King Tuesday at the Cook County medical examiner's office, where Hudson and other relatives went to help identify the remains this afternoon.
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.
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When they saw the boy's face on the screen, Hudson told investigators, "Yes, that is him," Howard said.
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 sparked a manhunt for William Balfour, 27, and a search for Julian.
Police were called shortly after 7 a.m. today after a resident reported a suspicious vehicle in the 1300 block of South Kolin Avenue. The white Suburban was noticed by a 75-year-old who lives on the block, John Louden.
He said he has lived on the block for 18 years and worried about people selling drugs in the abandoned building behind it. He saw the SUV while walking his dog. After a double-take, he realized the license plate matched the one police were looking for.
"I didn't look in there. I didn't touch it. I knew it was a strange vehicle," Louden said. He said police showed up in about five minutes after his wife called them. They discovered the child inside. The body was removed and the SUV was towed away for evidence processing. "I feel bad about that baby," Louden said.
During an afternoon news conference, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis was asked why a resident, rather than police, discovered the missing vehicle.
"Well, it's a big city. The area that the car was located in was a couple miles away from the first crime scene so it wasn't in an area where we were initially looking," Weis said.
He said helicopters were searching the city for the SUV, in addition to the Amber Alert that was out across the area, and he said a block by block grid search was set up near where the Hudson home after the killings.
He said the investigation into the murders was continuing and declined to release details about what police believe may have been the motive.
"There's a lot of work to be done, we'll make sure to go through this very thoroughly," he said.
Before the positive identification, Hudson's family members and supporters were already preparing for the hard news--that 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.
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Balfour, the estranged husband of the boy's mother, Julia Hudson, was brought in for questioning Friday night. He was initially described by police as a suspect in the investigation.
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.
Police searched Balfour's girlfriend's house for several hours Friday night after taking him into custody. Her home is located about 2.5 miles from where the SUV was found this morning.
Balfour has denied involvement in the killings, law-enforcement sources said. But at some point, Balfour stopped talking to authorities, sources told the Tribune.
On Sunday morning, Balfour was transferred to a state facility after officials said he violated conditions of parole for a 1999 conviction for attempted murder. Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith said Balfour violated his parole because he is a suspect in the slayings and the boy's disappearance.
According to law-enforcement sources, Balfour's alibi the day of the killings has been contradicted by his girlfriend.
Balfour and Julia Hudson had been separated for some time, his family members said. A family friend said Balfour recently had threatened to take Julian away.
A family member of the girlfriend's said police have interviewed her. Police also tracked Balfour's whereabouts Friday through his cell phone, sources said.
