By Andrew Stern
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The estranged brother-in-law of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson was arrested and will be charged with the October slayings of three of her relatives, police said on Monday.
"We have obtained an arrest warrant for William Balfour. He was released to Chicago detectives," Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Monique Bond said, adding that Balfour would be charged with three counts of murder.
Balfour, 27, who had been married to Hudson's sister Julia, was questioned after the slayings but not charged. He was imprisoned for violating his parole on a previous attempted murder conviction, and was scheduled to have a hearing on Wednesday.
Bond would not give details about what evidence led police to charge Balfour for the shooting deaths of Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, brother, Jason Hudson, 29, and 7-year-old nephew, Julian King.
Donerson and Jason Hudson were found shot to death on October 24 in Donerson's South Side home. Four days later, King's body was found in a stolen sport utility vehicle parked on the city's West Side. A handgun used in the slayings was found nearby.
The Chicago Tribune reported investigators had evidence that Balfour had a gun matching the weapon.
After the slayings, Jennifer Hudson returned to Chicago and identified King's body at the morgue.
Hudson got her start in 2005 competing on the U.S. television show "American Idol" although she failed to reach the final.
She later won the role of Effie White in the 2006 film version of the stage musical "Dreamgirls" and earned a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance.
Hudson has since appeared in the movie version of "Sex and the City" and "The Secret Life of Bees."
(Editing by Michael Conlon and Mohammad Zargham)
Chicago, Illinois police arrested William Balfour, the estranged brother-in-law of Oscar-winning American actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, on Monday, multiple media outlets reported. Balfour is expected to be charged with three counts of murder for the slayings of three of Hudson's relatives in October.

Hudson holds her Oscar. "We have obtained an arrest warrant for William Balfour. He was released to Chicago detectives," Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Monique Bond told Reuters.

Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother, Jason Hudson, 29 were found dead in Donerson's home on October 24 and the body of Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King was found four days later in a stolen SUV. A handgun police say is tied to the case was found nearby, but Reuters reports that Bond did not comment on any evidence in the case.

The Associated Press reports that police took Balfour into custody on Oct. 24 and held him for 48 before the Illinois Department of Corrections took possession of him on an alleged parole violation. Balfour previously served nearly seven years for a 1999 conviction attempted murder, vehicular hijacking, and possessing a stolen vehicle. CNN reports he was out of jail on parole at the time of the shootings.

Balfour's mother, Michelle Davis-Balfour, spoke to the press Monday night, saying she thought that there was no case against her son.

"If they found gun powder on his hands, you got a case; if they found a gun on him, he had a case; if they found a fingerprint on the truck that he did this, you got a case; but they don't have nothing," Davis-Balfour said, according to the Associated Press. She also said: "My son did not do this. I am sick of this. They need to focus on somebody else."

Davis-Balfour also accused at least one witness of lying while providing an alibi for his son, saying he was with one of three girls friends when the killings happened.

"He was with Diana that night and with Kate in the morning," she said, according to CNN.

Attorney for Balfour, Josh Kutnick, told CNN that his client is innocent. "He believes when the evidence comes out, he will be found not guilty," Kutnick told CNN.

Hudson became famous in 2004 when she was one of the finalists on the third season of the American hit television show ''American Idol''. She later won multiple awards for her role in the 2006 motion picture ''Dreamgirls''.