From Ted Rolands,CNN
Chicago (CNN) — Actress and singer Jennifer Hudson testified Monday in the trial of a man accused of killing three of her relatives.
She identified the defendant, William Balfour, the estranged husband of her sister Julia.
“None of us wanted her to marry him,” she said.
She also testified about her relationship with her mother, saying she spoke with her mom every day and slept in the same bed with her until she was 16.
Eighteen people have been selected to serve on the jury in the murder trial: 10 women and eight men. The group includes six alternates.
The trial comes more than three years after Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew were killed.
Balfour is accused of fatally shooting Hudson’s mother and brother inside their Chicago home in October 2008. The body of Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found three days later inside an abandoned vehicle.
Balfour, Julian’s stepfather, has also been charged with one count of home invasion.
The judge has said he expects the trial to last three to four weeks.
Balfour was detained for questioning the day after the victims were found at the Chicago home. Authorities at the time said that they were holding Balfour for an unspecified parole violation, but he was indicted for murder two months later.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his lawyer has said in court that there is no forensic evidence linking him to the killings.
Prosecutors have portrayed Balfour as a jealous man who murdered three people in a rage at the thought that his wife had a boyfriend.
The deaths took place a year after Hudson, who rose to fame as a contestant on “American Idol,” won an Oscar for her role in the movie “Dreamgirls.”
In a recent interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan, Hudson reflected on the life of her mother, Darnell Donerson.
“My mother was a very wise and strong person. I feel like she raised us well, and she prepared me well, and so that’s what I live by,” she said.
Her career has continued to blossom and remain varied since her relatives’ deaths. Her recent milestones include penning a memoir detailing her struggles with her weight, being cast to play Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie in an upcoming movie, releasing a new album and singing a well-received tribute to Whitney Houston at the most recent Grammy Awards show in February.
