Chicago Police Department; Steve Granitz/Getty ImagesIt's been more than a month since the shooting deaths of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew, but the case is picking up steam.
A day after his arrest, Hudson's estranged brother-in-law, William Balfour, was formally charged this morning with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion by the Cook County state's attorney's office.
A press conference is expected later today.
The 27-year-old Balfour, who has been the sole focus of the Chicago Police Department's investigation from day one, is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing Wednesday afternoon.
Balfour has been held in custody since Oct. 26, two days after the tragic murders.
The bodies of Darnell Donerson, the Oscar winner's 57-year-old mother, and Jason Hudson, Jennifer's 29-year-old brother, were both found in their Southside Chicago home on Oct. 24. Her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was discovered two days later in an abandoned SUV.
Investigators later recovered a .45-caliber gun that they tied to the shootings—a weapon Balfour's girlfriend told cops resembled one that Balfour carried. The girlfriend also told police that Balfour had confessed to the murders, though he has publicly maintained his innocence since being detained.
He isn't the only one.
"They have a botched-up investigation, and they're trying to pin it on him," his mother, Michele Balfour, told the Chicago Tribune.
Hudson's family has yet to comment on Balfour's arrest and charging.