Accused found guilty in Jennifer Hudson family murder trial

The former brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson has been found guilty of murdering the singer/actress' mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew.

After three days of deliberations, a Chicago jury convicted William Balfour, 31, on Friday (May 11) of the triple homicide, which took place on October 24, 2008. He faces a mandatory life in prison sentence.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hudson was overcome with emotion as the verdict was read and looked over at her sister, Julia Hudson, and smiled.

The star, a former American Idol contestant who won an Oscar for her role in the film Dreamgirls, was the first to testify during the trial. She said she had known Balfour since grade school and had warned her sister against marrying him.

Prosecutors said that Balfour carried out the killings in a jealous rage and relied on circumstantial evidence during the 11-day trial since there was no DNA or fingerprints linking him to the crime scenes. There were no surviving witnesses and the bodies were not discovered for several hours.