By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 06:34 EST, 23 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:49 EST, 23 April 2012 . A gift of balloons. That, prosecutors contend, is what sent Jennifer Hudson's then brother-in-law into such a jealous rage that he shot dead her mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew in a horrific act of vindictiveness in the home where the Hollywood star grew up. A prosecutor is expected to tell jurors that during opening statements at the trial of William Balfour - charged with three counts of first-degree murder over the October 24, 2008 slayings that generated nationwide headlines because of Hudson's fame. Tragic: Jennifer Hudson holding her Oscar with her mother other Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, who was found dead at the family's home in Chicago in 2008 . The estranged husband of Hudson's . sister, Balfour believed the balloons he saw at the Hudson home came . from Julia Hudson's new boyfriend; driving away for her job as a school . bus driver, she glimpsed Balfour in her mirror still lingering outside, . prosecutors have said. They say Balfour went back inside the three-story house around 9am and used a .45-caliber handgun to kill Hudson's mother, 57-year-old Darnell Hudson Donerson, in the living room - then shot her 29-year-old brother, Jason Hudson, twice in the head as he lay in bed. Trial: William Balfour is on trial accused of murdering Jennifer Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson, older brother Jason and nephew Julian King . He allegedly drove off in Jason Hudson's SUV with Julia Hudson's son, Julian King, inside. Authorities say he shot the boy nicknamed Juice Box in the head as he lay behind a front seat. His body was found in the abandoned vehicle miles away after a three-day search. There are no known witnesses to the slayings, and it's unclear what physical evidence exists, be it fingerprints or DNA. Prosecutors say gunshot residue was found on the steering wheel of Balfour's car. But the defense says that and other evidence is circumstantial. Close ties: Jennifer Hudson offered $100,000 for the safe return of her nephew Julian King, seven (left) A gun, which Balfour allegedly stole months before from Hudson's brother, was recovered in a lot near where the SUV was found and will be presented as the murder weapon. Establishing motive may pose less of a challenge. A high-school dropout and one-time Gangster Disciple known by the gang name 'Flex', Balfour allegedly threatened to kill the Hudson family at least two dozen times, starting earlier in 2008 when he moved out of the house, lead prosecutor James McKay has said. Murder trial: William Balfour is the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia. He is accused of killing her mother, brother and nephew four years ago . A day before the killings, on Julia Hudson's birthday, McKay says, Balfour told her, 'If you ever leave me, I'm going to kill you, but I'm going to kill your family first.' She didn't take him seriously, McKay said, because Balfour hadn't acted on the threats before. Court records indicate the now 34-year-old Julia Hudson's divorce from Balfour was finalized last year. If convicted of at least two of the murder counts, the 30-year-old Balfour, on parole at the time of the killings after serving nearly seven years for attempted murder and vehicular hijacking, would face a mandatory life sentence. Harrowing: Jennifer Hudson poses with her Oscar in 2008 and brother-in-law William Balfour. She could testify at his murder trial over the shootings of her mother, brother and nephew . Jennifer Hudson's name is among 300 on a list of potential witnesses, though it's not certain she will testify. The 2004 American Idol finalist and 2007 Oscar winner for her role in Dreamgirls is expected to attend each day of testimony, which could last up to a month. Judge Charles Burns has instructed jurors to set aside any sympathy for Hudson and decide a verdict strictly according to testimony. The panelists include a teacher, a trucker and two people who have had close relatives murdered. Proceedings: William Balfour's murder trial started this week at the Cook County courthouse in Chicago . Prosecutors have said Balfour claimed he wasn't near the Hudson home at the time of the killing, but they are expected to introduce cellphone records that allegedly prove he was in the area when two teenage girls who live nearby heard gunshots. The witnesses didn't immediately report the shots to police because the sound of gunfire isn't uncommon in the impoverished, crime-ridden Englewood neighbourhood, according to court filings. Troubled relationship: Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia with her estranged husband William Balfour who is standing trial for murdering her relatives . At a time when cities across the country have seen the number of homicides fall, sometimes dramatically, Chicago's jumped by a whopping 60 per cent the first three months of the year, and Englewood's violence was a big reason why. Since he took office last May, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has used the word 'Englewood' as almost shorthand for gangs, guns and the dangers facing the city's children. The deteriorating neighborhood has presented him with one of his biggest challenges, becoming a focus for his promise to deploy more police officers to the street while cracking down on Englewood's gangs. Violence: The boarded up former home of Jennifer Hudson and her family in Englewood, Chicago. There are thousands of boarded-up buildings in the city's most notorious neighbourhood . There are a host of reasons for Englewood's downward spiral. But they mostly boil down to an exodus of families from an area that was predominantly single-family homes, resulting in an explosion in the number of abandoned buildings, and an influx of gang members.Home to 100,000 residents in 1960, Englewood's population has dwindled. It had dropped to about 40,000 in 2000 and to 30,000 just 10 years later.Part of the reason is that families moved out to safer places and others lost their homes when they lost jobs during the recession.According to the police department, there are more than 4,100 abandoned buildings in Englewood, nearly 600 of them vacated in just the last 15 months. Neighbour: Englewood resident Antie Moore at the former home of Jennifer Hudson and her family in the troubled Chicago neighbourhood .
American Idol finalist expected in court throughout tragic case which is due to last a month .
Jealous ex-gang member accused of shooting dead star's mother, brother and nephew .
Former family home in Chicago's Englewood which is one of America's most violent neighbourhoods .
By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 06:34 EST, 23 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:49 EST, 23 April 2012 . A gift of balloons. That, prosecutors contend, is what sent Jennifer Hudson's then brother-in-law into such a jealous rage that he shot dead her mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew in a horrific act of vindictiveness in the home where the Hollywood star grew up. A prosecutor is expected to tell jurors that during opening statements at the trial of William Balfour - charged with three counts of first-degree murder over the October 24, 2008 slayings that generated nationwide headlines because of Hudson's fame. Tragic: Jennifer Hudson holding her Oscar with her mother other Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, who was found dead at the family's home in Chicago in 2008 . The estranged husband of Hudson's . sister, Balfour believed the balloons he saw at the Hudson home came . from Julia Hudson's new boyfriend; driving away for her job as a school . bus driver, she glimpsed Balfour in her mirror still lingering outside, . prosecutors have said. They say Balfour went back inside the three-story house around 9am and used a .45-caliber handgun to kill Hudson's mother, 57-year-old Darnell Hudson Donerson, in the living room - then shot her 29-year-old brother, Jason Hudson, twice in the head as he lay in bed. Trial: William Balfour is on trial accused of murdering Jennifer Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson, older brother Jason and nephew Julian King . He allegedly drove off in Jason Hudson's SUV with Julia Hudson's son, Julian King, inside. Authorities say he shot the boy nicknamed Juice Box in the head as he lay behind a front seat. His body was found in the abandoned vehicle miles away after a three-day search. There are no known witnesses to the slayings, and it's unclear what physical evidence exists, be it fingerprints or DNA. Prosecutors say gunshot residue was found on the steering wheel of Balfour's car. But the defense says that and other evidence is circumstantial. Close ties: Jennifer Hudson offered $100,000 for the safe return of her nephew Julian King, seven (left) A gun, which Balfour allegedly stole months before from Hudson's brother, was recovered in a lot near where the SUV was found and will be presented as the murder weapon. Establishing motive may pose less of a challenge. A high-school dropout and one-time Gangster Disciple known by the gang name 'Flex', Balfour allegedly threatened to kill the Hudson family at least two dozen times, starting earlier in 2008 when he moved out of the house, lead prosecutor James McKay has said. Murder trial: William Balfour is the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia. He is accused of killing her mother, brother and nephew four years ago . A day before the killings, on Julia Hudson's birthday, McKay says, Balfour told her, 'If you ever leave me, I'm going to kill you, but I'm going to kill your family first.' She didn't take him seriously, McKay said, because Balfour hadn't acted on the threats before. Court records indicate the now 34-year-old Julia Hudson's divorce from Balfour was finalized last year. If convicted of at least two of the murder counts, the 30-year-old Balfour, on parole at the time of the killings after serving nearly seven years for attempted murder and vehicular hijacking, would face a mandatory life sentence. Harrowing: Jennifer Hudson poses with her Oscar in 2008 and brother-in-law William Balfour. She could testify at his murder trial over the shootings of her mother, brother and nephew . Jennifer Hudson's name is among 300 on a list of potential witnesses, though it's not certain she will testify. The 2004 American Idol finalist and 2007 Oscar winner for her role in Dreamgirls is expected to attend each day of testimony, which could last up to a month. Judge Charles Burns has instructed jurors to set aside any sympathy for Hudson and decide a verdict strictly according to testimony. The panelists include a teacher, a trucker and two people who have had close relatives murdered. Proceedings: William Balfour's murder trial started this week at the Cook County courthouse in Chicago . Prosecutors have said Balfour claimed he wasn't near the Hudson home at the time of the killing, but they are expected to introduce cellphone records that allegedly prove he was in the area when two teenage girls who live nearby heard gunshots. The witnesses didn't immediately report the shots to police because the sound of gunfire isn't uncommon in the impoverished, crime-ridden Englewood neighbourhood, according to court filings. Troubled relationship: Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia with her estranged husband William Balfour who is standing trial for murdering her relatives . At a time when cities across the country have seen the number of homicides fall, sometimes dramatically, Chicago's jumped by a whopping 60 per cent the first three months of the year, and Englewood's violence was a big reason why. Since he took office last May, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has used the word 'Englewood' as almost shorthand for gangs, guns and the dangers facing the city's children. The deteriorating neighborhood has presented him with one of his biggest challenges, becoming a focus for his promise to deploy more police officers to the street while cracking down on Englewood's gangs. Violence: The boarded up former home of Jennifer Hudson and her family in Englewood, Chicago. There are thousands of boarded-up buildings in the city's most notorious neighbourhood . There are a host of reasons for Englewood's downward spiral. But they mostly boil down to an exodus of families from an area that was predominantly single-family homes, resulting in an explosion in the number of abandoned buildings, and an influx of gang members.Home to 100,000 residents in 1960, Englewood's population has dwindled. It had dropped to about 40,000 in 2000 and to 30,000 just 10 years later.Part of the reason is that families moved out to safer places and others lost their homes when they lost jobs during the recession.According to the police department, there are more than 4,100 abandoned buildings in Englewood, nearly 600 of them vacated in just the last 15 months. Neighbour: Englewood resident Antie Moore at the former home of Jennifer Hudson and her family in the troubled Chicago neighbourhood .
family's home in Chicago in 2008 . The estranged Hudson's sister Julia. He is accused of killing mother, brother and nephew . Jennifer Hudson's testify. The 2004 American Idol finalist and 2007 could last up to a month. Judge Charles Burns has Englewood neighbourhood, according to court