The Tragic Triple Homicide

This is exactly right . Double Elvis . A vacation rental should come with support, not surprises. That's why Verbo comes with a Verbo Care Guarantee and twenty four seven live support from real people. So if something goes sideways, Verbo Care can help. If the house cancels, Verbo Care. If the listing says heated pool, there's but actually no pool to heat. Definitely a verbal care thing. If my teenager starts calling me Leslie instead of mom, that's a family thing, Leslie. That makes sense. Sorry. Book with support, not surprises. Verbocare and twenty four seven live support. If you know, you're verb o, term supply cirbo. com slash trust for details. I'm Cindy Lauper with fellow cosentics advocate chef Michelle Bernstein. We'll share our experiences with plaque psasorisi with psoriatic arthritis, and Dr. Panica will talk about the possible connection . Cocentic secu kenumab is prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis three hundred milligram dose, and adults with active psoriatic arthritis one hundred and fifty milligram dose. Don't use if you're allergic to cosentics. Before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur, like tuberculosis, or other serious bacterial, fungal, or viral infections , some are fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or cough, had a vaccine or planned to, or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen. Serious allergic reactions and severe eczema like skin reactions may occur . Learn more at one eight four centics orcentics dot com slash chef Michelle . Dry eyes still feel gritty and tired? With my bow, eyes can feel my bow . My bow, for flurohe ctane ophthalmic solution, is the only prescription dry eye drop that directly targets the number one cause too much tear evaporation . Don't use if allergic to MyBo Remove contacts before using and wait at least thirty minutes before putting them back in. Eye redness and blurred vision may occur. For more info, talk to your eye doctor, call one eight four MIBO YA or visit myboot. com Oftentimes there's not a lot of redemption in the stories that we tell. Sometimes though, there are great examples of redemption. And the story on Jennifer Hudson is most definitely one of those. Not just redemption, but resilience. I didn't write this episode, but when we were producing it, I was blown away by the character of Jennifer Hudson, blown away by her faith, blown away by her grit , and legitimately inspired by how she overcame the tragedy of a triple homicide It was a truly harrowing event that this woman had to endure and she did it, of course. She's still doing it, she's still enduring it, and she's doing it all with grace . So much grace that we hardly even remember that this thing happened to her . It's because Jennifer Hudson is just out there living her life . It's amazing. I hope you dig this story and I hope it inspires you as much as it inspired me when we put it together. This episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. Please check the show notes for more information. Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis The stories about Jennifer Hudson are insane . She grew up on gospel music in Englewood, the most dangerous four square miles in Chicago, the same four square miles where three members of her family were murdered in one weekend . The killer was someone Jennifer went to elementary school with, someone who once lived under the same roof and broke bread with her family . But before this triple homicide tragedy and even long after it, Jennifer Hudson made great music. Unlike that music I played for you at the top of the show . That wasn't great music. That was a precept loop from my melatron called Young, Dumb and Baroque MK . I played you that loop because I can't afford the rights to womanize her by Britney Spears . And why would I play you that specific slice of don't try to front cheese could I afford it? Because that was the number one song in America on october twenty fourth , two thousand eight, and that was the day Jennifer Hudson got a call that would change the rest of her life and test her faith like never before. On this episode Gospel Music , family traitors, triple homicide in the undying faith of Jennifer Hudson . I'm Jake Brennan and this is Disgraceland The gunshots broke the s ilence on South Yale Avenue between eight and nine AM . First one round, then a pause , and then another round a few minutes later . No one called nine hundred eleven. No one poked their head outdoors to see what happened. No one prayed . This was Engelewood, the south side of Chicago, the most dangerous four square miles in all the windy city . Gunshots were part of the package . Gunshots punctuated space and time like train whistles or clock tower chimes , forgetable background noise, an everyday occurrence. At seven thousand one nine South Yeale Avenue, two bodies bled out in silence . One in the doorway of the first floor living room, another upstairs in bed, still tucked amid the sheets , dreams draining from his consciousness, inching towards an etern al slumber . The husband household went quiet. No music sprang from the radio, no notes floated from happy lungs and no child hollering from the seat of a tricycle october twenty fourth, two thousand eight . Jennifer Hudson was not home the day her mother and brother were murdered , the very same day that her nephew was kidnapped, but she would be home again soon , here standing on the streets of Englewood, praying, pleading for her nephew, Julian to return home safely . The words leap t from her lips like a prayer. Julia Kate Hudson stood at the kitchen stove, a spatula in one hand, and the other over her heart as she sang, brushing against the fabric of a matronly flannel nightcown. No bodies on the floor, no cartridges strewn across the carpet, just the heavenly melodies brimming from Julia's chest, and her odd little granddaughter Jennifer listening along. This is how life in the Hudson Household was supposed to be. Julia sang hymns the right way, from memory and from the bottom of her lungs . She was a born gospel singer inside and outside of the church choir . Her vocals shine brighter than a stained glass window on a Sunday morning. At every service, she commanded RESPECT just like the gospel greats who had come before her Aretha, Sam, Marvin . She belted out more than a hundred solos in her family's church over the course of her life, not for glory, but for God, for God's glory. Julia had no interest in being the next Aretha. Her satisfaction stemmed from singing for the Lord, plain and simple. Little Jennifer took notes. Julia's raw talent instilled a strong faith in her young granddaughter. There was a saying in the Hudson household, a positive refrain for all happy circumstances. Look at what God can do. And if God could make you sing like this, well, sign Jennifer up . She joined the church choir at just seven years old and followed her grandmother's musical traditions , another quote unquote old fashioned girl as she liked to say . Jennifer didn't touch modern worship music. She went by the books, literally, and sang straight from the hymnals that line the pews of her church just like Julia did. But Jennifer also sensed that maybe God had other plans for her , that he wanted her to sing for other people , not just the people crowded together in one building on a Sunday , and maybe not just gospel songs. Maybe she should sing some of the secular music she overheard the neighbors playing Destiny's child, Mariah Carey, Patti Labelle . That music never played in the Hudson household . At seven thousand one nine South Yale Avenue, it was all gospel, all God all the time . For some preteens and teenagers, such a strict musical regiment could potentially create a restless little atheist, eager to rebel against a lifetime of Bible vers es and intersperse a cussword into the endless chance of amen and hallelujah . But for Jennifer, and her siblings, Jason and Julia, yes, her sister was named Julia too. Gospel music kept them spiritually fed and full. You had a feast on these things if you wanted to feel good living in Englewood, a neighborhood where the statistics were on nobody's side . Located in Chicago's south side, Englewood's poverty rate is double that of greater Chicago. The median household income is half of that in Chicago. twenty eight percent of Englewood residents over age sixteen are unemployed. Incidents of violent crime are three times as frequent in comparison to Greater Chicago. The crime rate in Anglewood is two hundred and seventy six percent higher than the national average. It's not surprising then that the Hudson family clung to their faith and to each other . In fact, religion regulated everything in the Hudson household. Bible study was on Monday nights, followed by rehearsals for the adult and youth choirs on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. That meant double d uty for Jennifer who sang in bold. Saturdays were devoted to folding and stapling the Sunday church bulletins, and Sunday itself was a day long celebration . First came the morning service, and then the Hudson family's weekly lunch out, a small splurge at either KFC or McDonald's. Food only, no drinks. Drinks made the meal too expensive, then back to church for the evening service and Sunday dinner at home . Those Hudson Sunday dinners covered every inch of the table like a Christmas day spread. Pork chops, collard greens, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, fried chicken biscuits. Jennifer's family was not rich by any means, but they did have everything they needed, food for the soul, and music for the soul as well. But not everyone was fortunate enough to return to a home glowing with familial love . The same light that the Hudson's bast ion didn't permeate the pall surrounding William Balfer, a classmate of Jennifer and Julia's. When William returned home from school every day , he waded into darkness, knee deep in the violence passed from generation to generation in his family . William's grandma did time for manslaughter, his dad did time for murder , and William received any leftover aggression in the form of physical abuse from his own parents. Crime and jail time his only handy downs. William was born into a culture of cruelty and so cruelty is what William Balfor had to offer the world. As a struggling teenager, he shuffled between foster homes. Not because he had been taken away from his family by child protective services, although that should have been the case, but because his mother said she couldn't quote unquote handle him anymore. She surrendered her parental rights on her own volition . William didn't fare much better with his various new families. His family's tradition of trauma loomed behind him like a shadow. In the eighth grade, when most kids were taunting each other and trying on their middle school graduation counts, William was zipping up a pint sized orange jumpsuit. At only fourteen years old , he racked up his first criminal charge, and not for dumb teenager stuff like shoplifting from a CBS , but for heroin possession, the big leaks, real adult crime . Next stop, Juvy . The news spread through the halls of Jennifer's school fast. William's arrest was the talk of the teens gossiping between classes at their lockers. Such a loner, so reserved, of course he was scheming, it's always the quiet ones. Jennifer knew exactly what they meant. She saw how he carried himself and kept to himself, and he never gave her any trouble personally, but she didn't trust him. Her gut told her not to get near that boy, and if fate brought her near him, it told her to get out of the way. But William was off to a correctional facility , steering clear of him would be easy now . Easy until the day he moved into her home If your dad loves sports, this Father's Day is an easy win. Everything at Fanatics is thirty percent off with pay's checkout, offered by banks and credit unions. Get your dad jerseys, hats, and whatever he needs to yell at the TV like the coach can hear him. With pays, your eligible cards are in one place, so you can skip digging through your wallet too. Use pays with code pays perks for thirty percent off at Fanatics through june thirtieth , twenty twenty six. Terms apply at Fanatics. com slash pays promo . Ola Atodos so I Jamie Len Segler, Quandomede Agnosticaron, Temient , Itoto Mimundo Campbell Portonpleto. Procono Tiempo Decidi Keno Iba Apermitter queso Frenada Mivida, Quizeto Maras Riandas, Edesquestia Brancom Medico Sobremis Obsiones, Alex ion Parramine Fuevia . Boom SOS Kympta. Obtain a mass informacyone sobre kicympta of a tumorab and kissymta pun dot com Dry eyes still feel gritty , rough, or tired . With my bow, eyes can feel bow . My bow for fluorohexalactanophalmic solution, is the only prescription dry eye drop that directly targets the number one cause of dry eye too much tear evaporation . Mybow mimics the way the protective outer layer of a healthy tear film fights evaporation, allowing you to keep more of your own tears. It can help the surface of the ey e heal when used consistently as directed , so eyes can find relief that's my bow . Don't use if allergic to my bow. Remove contacts before using and wait at least thirty minutes before putting them back in. Eye redness and blurred vision may occur. For more info, talk to your eye doctor, call one eight four Mybo Yab, or visit mybo. com to find an eye doctor near you. What does treating dry eye differently feel like? I'm weird . Jennifer Hudson tried not to make a scene . She didn't want her plea to be obvious . She stood steady on the bright blue American Idol stage, next to future idol winner Fantasia Barrino . They clasped sweaty palms and dug their manicured nails into each other's hands. Jennifer didn't close her eyes like people did in the movies . She looked right at the camera and she prayed . She prayed for her destiny to come together . two thousand four Elimination Night . Please God , let me go home tonight. Jennifer prayed. I want to go home . Ryan Secrest granted her wish almost immediately. He announced the elimination without any phony reality TV suspense . That person is Jennifer Hudson . Jennifer smiled and took Fantasia into her arms . No tears fell from her eyes, no jitters made her wobble off stage . This was right. It seemed wrong, sure, Jennifer had absolutely dominated the Barry Manilo theme the night prior, but leaving was the right move for her. There was no shame in placing seventh . American Idol was just another talent competition after all, and Jennifer cut her teeth on talent competitions growing up. She had her share of those tacky crowns from her teen years. She didn't need another one. Even if it meant losing the next few weeks on air in front of America . When she packed her bags to return to Chicago, Jennifer was content . Chicago, on the other hand, was devastated. When it came to American Idol voting, the efforts of Jennifer's hometown usually went unmatched. Once Chicago had a local woman performing on such a big platform, churches across the region followed American Idol religiously . Tuesday nights meant congregating at churches across the city watched Jennifer compete. When the curtain fell on the last contestant every week, the flock dispersed from the pews, rushing home to dial in their votes for their very own Jenny from the block . Just weeks prior, Jennifer received the highest amount of votes that round. But God does indeed work in mysterious ways. On the night of Jennifer's final idol performance , a tornado stormed through Chicago, uprooting the power lines and phone lines as it tour through town. No phone service meant no phone calls and no phone calls meant no votes for Jennifer. Far too few votes at least. The loss was a blow for Chicago, but not for Jennifer's pride. As she told MTV , I feel like that storm was a sign from God that it was time to remove me. And when he got something to say, I ain't got nothing to say about it. It gave a whole new meaning to the Hudson's look at what God can do, catchphrase . But reality TV contestant or not, the public still had a lot to say about Jennifer Hudson. She wouldn't be another top twelve contestant who faded into a backdrop of Hasban Idol contenders famous for a few weeks and forgotten the next. Her elimination had the opposite effect . The shock surrounding America's decision kept all eyes on her, including the eyes of director and screenwriter Bill Condon . He could see that Jennifer was more than just a singer too, although her mountainous vocal chops were central to her charm . Those kind of vocal chords called for a special kind of role . A role like Effie White in his next picture, Dream Girls, the Motown music flick inspired by the story of the Supremes. Jennifer beat out Fantasia for the role, along with seven hundred and eighty two other women who tried to do their best to recapture the magic of Motown. She didn't beat Beyonce . She didn't have to. Beyonce was going to play her group mate, Dina Jones, inspired by Diana Ross. She was going to be co stars with Beyonce, Miss Destiny's child, herself. That was a big enough feat for Jennifer, but on top of that, Jamie Fox would also be by her side as, her love interest, lip blocks included. When filming rapped, Jennifer's hype was so huge that she lined up a record deal with Arista Records before Dream Girls even dropped. Arista founder Clyde Davis liter ally bought out her existing deal to make sure her debut album was released under his label. And that was before she took home an Oscar. That's right. Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for her first role in a movie, ever. An accomplishment most Hollywood hopefully would kill for it, and Jennifer did it naturally. God's plan was on point. Jennifer knew it. Chicago knew it too. Even though her time was divided between countries and coasts, and she endured a rigorous schedule of international film festivals, press tours, and recording sessions for her debut album . But no matter where her newfound fame took her, whenever she could, she spent time in Englewood, where her mother, brother, sister, and nephew still shared a home together. When Jennifer was in town, they ate the same meals as she did as a child, recited the same prayers with the same conviction. But one day, when Jennifer returned home , there was a new face at the family dinner table , William Balfour . Jennifer hadn't seen him in at least a decade . He was older now, more muscular . People called him flex because he was so cut. He was also more set in his ways . Jennifer's feelings towards him hadn't changed, and William hadn't changed much either. After his time in Jewie, William rejected his life as a foster kid, the constant motion, the fake families. Fuck that. He was over it, he thought. Instead, he opted for a life on the streets . From there, William took up with the gangst er disciples, one of the largest gangs in Chicago. Only three years after his arrest for heroin possession, he upgraded his criminal record to include vehicular hijacking and attempted murder. At seventeen years old, William not only stole a car, but he tried to toss the car's owner to his death while the owner desperately clung to the roof. William swerved and sped his way right into another seven years behind bars . And in a cruel twist of fate, when William emerged from prison in two thousand six, he walked straight into the heart of Jennifer's sister, Julia. Julia was smitten. Jennifer was confused, to say the least, and appalled. She tried to bargain with her sister. What did she want? A house of her own, a new car, a lavish vacation? Jennifer had money now. A list movie money. She would buy Julia anything she wanted, anything if she didn't marry William . But Julia was unmoved by the material bribes. William was good, she insisted, and a good stepfather to Julia's se ven year old Julian . He even wrote proud parent on his MySpace bio . Her heart insisted upon a wedding, insisted upon William. The couple read the room and then got the hell out of that room, eloping in late two thousand six . William was always welcome at the Hudson's table, of course, embracing an outsider with acceptance and tolerance was a Christian way. But once William moved into the Hudson household, the Hudsons had a front row seat to his relationship with Julia. The more they saw, the more their opinion of William shrank. William did not love Julia. He thought he did. He signed marriage papers proclaiming that he did, but what William felt towards Julia was something far more sinister . His feelings bordered on her ownership. Jealousy coursed through him like second nature. If Julia was going to love anybody, it was going to be him. End of discussion. He had his happy family now and he wasn't about to lose it over anything or anybody . In William's mind, Julia owed him her affection , all of it. Hugging other people set him off, kisses made his blood curdle. It didn't matter who Julie was embracing. Her mother, her sister, even her seven year old son that William was supposed to be a proud parent of his heart grew green and his cheeks flushed red at the sight of any affection given to anyone else . If Julia was loving someone else and she wasn't loving William, then William couldn't accept that kind of traitorous behavior. Mind you, this is how William felt when Julia shared a ffection with her own family , people she literally could not cheat on him with. Imagine if she hugged a friend, a coworker, or another man, what would that push him to do? Julia didn't wait to find out , she couldn't afford to. She disregarded their vows and tossed William and his wicked tantrums out on the street. He successfully shot down their whirlwind romance in cold blood, and their marriage was dead. It should have been a moment of relief for the Hudsons, should have been. But William was a possessive man . Worse, he was a determined one. William moved out and claimed to move on to another woman, but he never strayed far from South Yell Avenue to check up on what his wife was doing, who she was doing. If he couldn't catch a good glimpse from Julia's bedroom window on the first floor, he'd ask around town. Was Julia, you know, seeing anybody ? His subtlety ended there. He had plans dark plans . He was going to kill the whole Hudson family if Julia so much has stepped outside with another man. He'd shoot them all one by one, and he'd take care of Julia last, so she'd have to watch him pull the trigger over and over again, repainting the walls, one blood soaked shot at a time . He told Julia to her face, he told the neighbors to their faces, his intentions were the worst kept secret in Englewood. William's threats drew closer when someone invaded the Hudson's home in two thousand eight , and the burglar left with no money, no jewels or electronics, just a house key and a forty five belonging to Jennifer's brother, Jason . This had nothing to do with making a quick buck off a break in. Jennifer couldn't contain her concern anymore. This was even bigger than Julia now. This man planned to gun down all of them. Jennifer begged her mother to move. She offered her mother Darnell a new house right here in Chicago. She didn't have to go far. She couldn't stay here. It was a death wish otherwise. Her mother, like all brave parents, appeared unbothered. She said William could touch her family, over her dead body. That's a real quote . So William did. William peeked into Julia's bedroom window for the final time on october twenty fourth, two thousand eight. He spotted Julia before his eyes moved to a bundle of birthday balloons occupying the corner of her room, hearts on shiny myelar, lots of them. William didn't need any additional proof that a new man was in the picture. He wrapped on the window , shouted at Julia, asked her what the fuck she was up to, seeing another man. He harassed her as she walked out the front door on her way to her shift as a school bus driver. William's rage energized him. He spedott off for as long as Julie would humor him . When she ran out of steam , she left him for a second time, abandoned him once in the front yard . But William hadn't said his peace , not all of it. In his mind, Julia just started some shit , and he was going to finish it . We'll be right back after this word, word, word . Ola Atodos soy Jamie Len Segler, Cundomed Agnostic Aron Temient . Itodom undo Campbell Portonpleto Perricono Tiempo Desiri can no Iba Apermitter queso Rinada Mivida, Quisito Marjas Riandas, Edesdia Baracomedo, Sobremis Obsones, Lalexion Param Fue lla . Boom, Esso's simpa Obtain Mass informacium sobre kissima of kissimpta puncto . Dry eyes still feel gritty and tired? With my bow eyes can feel my bow bo, for flurohe ctan othalmic solution, is the only prescription dry eye drop that directly targets the number one cause too much tear evaporation. Don't use if allergic to MyBo. Remove contacts before using and wait at least thirty minutes before putting them back in, eye redness and blurred vision may occur. For more info, talk to your eye doctor, call one eight forty four Myboa, or visit mybo. com bo . Your first sip should do more than simply start the day . Elevate your scoop with Vital Proteins collagen peptides advanced. Featuring collagen plus hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, it helps support healthy hair, skin, nails, bones, and joints. Adding extra wellness support to your daily routine. So your upgraded routine supports you right back. Vital Proteins stay vital. Visit vitalproteins. com to get started. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose treat cure or prevent any disease. Julia Hudson noticed the bullet hole in the door first She knew what was waiting for behind the door before she opened it. She burst through anyways . Her mother, Garnell Donerson, faced down on the carpet, bullets buried in her back , her white nightgown stained, her body gone cold in a pool of her own blood. Once Julia opened her mouth to scream, she couldn't stop, couldn't control the howls coming from the depths of her lungs, shooting up from her stomach. Upstairs in his bedroom, her brother Jason succumbed to the same fate, shot dead in bed, murdered while he was sleeping when he didn't stand a chance of defending himself . But somehow, the worst discovery was yet to come . In between morning moans , Julia realized she was the only person at home. Her son, Julia had been here when she left for work that morning. She was sure of it. She remembered him tumbling around on his green tricycle, but she couldn't hear his frantic little feet pedaling away , nor his giggle or hurried footsteps down the stairs . The silence of the house shook her. Julian wasn't home, maybe he was still alive. Please let him be still alive. Jason's white suburban had vanished from the curb too. Vehicular hijacking. That certainly sounded familiar. It could be a kidnapping. That was better than murder, at least. Barely. Julia dialed nine hundred and eleven. In a daze she spoke in panicked fragments, claiming she didn't know what happened. But deep down inside her, she knew exactly what happened. She knew who had been there, who had fulfilled his promise . She used to wear his ring on her finger. Julia's tearful next call was to her sister, Jennifer Hudson, who was sunning herself one thousand miles away in F lorida. Jennifer's then husband, David Otanga, was holed up in the sunshine state for rigorous pro wrestling training. Jennifer tagged along on a whim to escape the October chill of Chicago. It was a whim that saved her life . Jennifer's blood turned to ice when Julia struggled to get the words out over the phone. Mama was dead, Jason dead, and Julian , missing. Jennifer knew if she had been home that day, she would be a third body on the ground, soaking in a crimson puddle . While Jennifer raced out of Florida on the next available flight, police raced to the main suspect , William Balfour . Police found William across town on Chicago's west side at his new girlfriend's pad. They arrested him on the spot and carted him downtown for more information, locked him in an interrogation room . William had been to the Hudson household earlier that morning, after all. Cops questioned him up and down, but William recited his story with ease. Sure, he had argued with Julia earlier in that day, but came home after , caught the bus and the train to get across town. He'd been here with his new boo ever since. And the little boy, Julian, he hadn't seen him since that morning either riding his tricycle around the air . William said that he hoped the kid was okay . There were no fewer than three lies in this statement. According to public transportation data, William hadn't used his pass for the bus that day, and there was no footage of him on the train platform that afternoon either. Data from William's phone provider even demonstrated that William was in the area of the husband household well past his morning argument with Julia . In fact, he was in that area right around the time those gunshots rang out on South Yale Avenue. Not a good look for William, but he wouldn't budge on his alibi. When William stuck to his story, hours without Julian ticked away . His absence widened the hole in the hearts of the Hudson family. Amber alerts ran across the bottom of every TV screen in Chicago, and the nearby Dew Cavalry light Pentecostal church replaced their lawns usual words of wisdom with help find Julian King and a phone number. Within twenty four hours, the FBI joined the Chicago police in the search for the little boy nicknamed Juice Box . And there was still hope. Julian was out there somewhere. Maybe in the back of that white suburban, maybe breathing . Jennifer and Julia held hands and held out hope, but their spirits had been weakened, brittle, and broken in a matter of hours . They needed strength and security. So they went to the place where they felt safest . They went to church . News anchors set their cameras in the pews at Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist Church on october twenty fifth, one day after the murders of Jennifer Huds on's mother and brother. Julia, Jennifer Hudson's sister, stood behind the podium to share her plea with the press. She implored viewers for her son, Julian's life as tears trickled down her cheeks. I don't care who you are, just let my baby go. I just want my son back. He doesn't deserve this. The broadcast ended. The search for Julian went on. Another twenty four hours craw l by That's when Jennifer up the stakes and announced a hundred thousand dollars reward for her nephew's safe return . Now there was nothing left to do but pray Their hands trembled. Another Our Father, one more Hail Mary, just for good measure . They let the recit ation soothe them, distract them, steady them. In the background , someone reads Psalm nineteen on repeat, his eyes never wavering from the Bible in his hand. When the heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night they reveal knowledge. White memorial crosses stood tall in front of the Hudson home, each covered in morning messages and endless God bless you. Photos of Jennifer Hudson's brother and mother littered the yard . A pile of stuffed animals on the lawn grew into a mountain. The family and friends encircling the Hudson home had been there for days. Their memorial for the Hudsons was alive, living, breathing , praying . But right now, at this very moment, they needed strength from the Lord more than ever before. Police found a white suburban that matched the description of the amber , and that was the good news. The bad news was that they found a little boy inside , dead , under a shower curtain, two bullets in his brain , shot execution style. Once police made the gruesome discovery inside the van, they scoured the surrounding area and located a gun nestled in a grassy vacant lot. Forensics confirmed it was a match for all three murders. While the crowd at South Yale Avenue clasped their hands in prayer, Jennifer and Julia drove to Cook County Medical Center for the second time that week to identify the body . Jennifer confirmed it. It was the third body she had to ID in less than a week. Her family's tragedy was now a triple homicide. Triple the heartbreak . Her mother's words echoed in Jennifer Hudson's years over my dead body Jennifer Hudson saw the police tape on the street before she could even park her car . Her stomach instantly twisted into a knot. She knew damn well the crowd lining the sidewalk was too big for there to be any good news waiting from the other side of that yellow tape . She bolted from the driver's seat without bothering to lock the car behind her. Jennifer elbowed strangers and neighbors out of the way, forced herself to the front of the bystanders. She froze when she reached the edge of the crime scene. Her daughter, Patti, rested underneath a bloody white sheet. The sheet did not rise and fall with her breaths. It lay still, and so did Patti, just like she would for the rest of eternity. She was the victim of a few stray bullets authorities told Jennifer, another accidental casualty caught between beef and gangs. Jennifer wailed, not the despairing kind, the irate kind, the blood boiling kind . Did no one see anything ? Did no one have anything to confess to? She locked eyes with every person in the crowd as she lashed out. Was it just going to stand by as her daughter bled out? Were they just going to stand there stupef?ied Come . Spike Lee's voice rang out from the director's chair. From where Spike Lee was sitting, Jennifer's acting chops hadn't been eroded by grief at all. Maybe the heartache had actually