Friday, May 4, 10:05 a.m. EDT: Friend says that Balfour was Jason Hudson's only enemy: The Boston Herald reports that when Assistant State's Attorney James McKay asked if Jason Hudson, Jennifer Hudson's brother, had any enemies, Kent Williams pointed toward defendant William Balfour and snapped, "Besides that cat sitting over there, no."
Thursday, May 3, 9:28 a.m. EDT: No more cellphones for reporters in courtroom: Cellphones ringing during testimony at the trial of the man accused of killing relatives of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson frustrated the judge so much that he withdrew permission Wednesday for journalists to bring them into court, the Huffington Post reports. Judges Charles Burns complained that the phones — which only reporters had been allowed to use — went off in the middle of testimony at least three times in less than two weeks. Journalists had been using the phones to send emails with details from the trial.
Wednesday, May 2, 9:08 a.m. EDT: Neighbor testifies that he helped cook crack at Hudson home: As the trial of William Balfour continued yesterday, a Hudson family friend testified about her brother's alleged drug deals as the defense tried to make the case that drug links led to the murders. Reginald Jones, a former neighbor who worked as a handyman for the Hudson family, testified that he once helped cook powder cocaine into about 2 1/2 ounces of crack in the Hudson family's kitchen, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Tuesday, May 1, 8:01 a.m. EDT: Police testify about finding gun: In court yesterday, Officer Terrence Fowler — one of dozens of Chicago Police Academy recruits asked to help after the bodies of Hudson's mother, brother and, later, nephew were found — testiied that he was sweeping his baton through high weeds when he heard a clink and found the gun that William Balfour is charged with using to kill Jennifer Hudsons' family members. Read more at the State Journal-Register.
Monday, April 30, 4:55 p.m. EDT: Trial judge releases tapes of Julia Hudson's 911 call: According to CBS Chicago, Criminal Court Judge Charles Burns decided to release the 911 tape today following an emergency motion by several media outlets. Prosecutors last week played the recording of the 911 call that Julia Hudson, Jennifer Hudson's sister, made after discovering their mother's body. "Oh my God … Somebody's killed my mother," Julia Hudson said while a dispatcher tried to get her to calm down and repeat her address. "She's on the floor and I see blood coming from her head."
Monday, April 30, 11:50 a.m. EDT: Hudson moves inside "protective bubble" at murder trial: The Chicago Tribune reports that in a courthouse known for its grittiness and lack of decorum, Hudson is given rare deference at her former brother-in-law's murder trial. Thanks to the judge's strict rules, Hudson's intentionally low profile and the public's willingness to give her space, she has reportedly rarely been approached or photographed.
Read prior courtroom updates from The Root's Midwest bureau chief, Lynette Holloway, here.
Read all of The Root's Jennifer Hudson coverage here.
Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.