CHICAGO (AP) — A girlfriend of the man accused of killing members of Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson’s family testified Friday that the defendant admitted to the slayings hours after they occurred.
CHICAGO (AP) — A girlfriend of the man accused of killing members of Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson’s family testified Friday that the defendant admitted to the slayings hours after they occurred.
Shonta Cathey said William Balfour gave her a detailed account of the shootings, but that she agreed to serve as his alibi if police inquired.
The 30-year-old Balfour has pleaded not guilty to murdering Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. Balfour was estranged from his wife, Hudson’s sister, at the time of the 2008 killings.
Cathey testified that she allowed Balfour to hide out in her apartment, where he watched television and talked on the phone.
"I was scared and wanted everything he wanted so he wouldn’t hurt us," she said.
Cathey said she left the apartment to get beer, and learned of the murders after she returned and saw a report on television and saw that police were looking for Balfour.
Authorities said police located Balfour through the use of cellphone records. Cathey said she agreed to let police search her apartment. She said she initially lied to police about Balfour’s whereabouts at the time of the killings.
"I was in love with William," she said. "And I didn’t want him to get in any trouble."
Also testifying on Friday was a retired machine operator who said he saw Balfour driving a sport utility vehicle that prosecutors said belonged to Hudson’s murdered brother and in which the body of Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew was found.
Bill Graham testified that he observed Balfour driving the SUV around noon on Oct. 24, 2008. Graham said he recognized Balfour because he lived down the block and usually drove a green car, not a white SUV.
"I wondered who would let him drive a truck like that because I never seen him drive one before," Graham said.
FBI Special Agent Nikki Skovran testified that Balfour made three cellphone calls the morning of the killings and all three registered on a cellular tower near the home where Hudson’s family lived.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
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