Nov 3, 2008 5:47 pm US/Central
Private Memorial Service Held For Hudson Family
Crowds Of Onlookers Gather Outside
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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A small white coffin, carried the body of Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, set upon a horse drawn carriage. Then, the coffins of Hudson's mother and brother were loaded into two waiting hearses.
CBS
Limousines sat outside a South Side church Monday morning as hundreds of mourners streamed into private, invitation-only funeral services for Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson's slain mother, brother and nephew.
The most elegant sendoff was reserved for the youngest victim. A small white coffin carried the body of Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, set upon a horse drawn carriage. Then, the coffins of Hudson's mother and brother were loaded into two waiting hearses.
It was the end to a powerful, two-hour funeral with family members still struggling to cope.
"Right now, I'm really still numb. It's really still sinking in," said Hudson's half-brother Samuel Simpson.
Small blue tickets that read "Hudson Family Funeral" were needed to enter the massive Apostolic Church of God, but that didn't deter crowds of onlookers who gathered outside.
Police directed traffic around the building, keeping passers-by and media across the street from its large front parking lot and away from those attending the services for Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, Jason Hudson, 29, and King.
"There's a great deal of sadness because of the savagery of it all, three people killed in cold blood, and the suddenness of it all, no time to say goodbye," said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, of Operation PUSH.
Rev. Jackson, Mayor Richard M. Daley, and the singer Fantasia were among the prominent faces at the funeral. But most of the hundreds on hand had a personal connection with the Hudson family.
Retired teacher Karen Kerr taught at the school Jennifer Hudson attended.
"We're very prayerful for the entire Hudson family, just imagining what they're going through," Kerr said.
Henry Dondell, a cousin of Hudson's mother, said, "Actually, it was a joyful atmosphere. It was a home-going, a sad occasion but the family came together."
For many mourners, the outpouring of love and sympathy for the Hudson family is all the more painful because no one has been charged in the case.
"You want some cover, some clarity, some ending to it, you would like to know," said family friend Norma Johnson.
Others attending the funeral included congressmen Jesse Jackson Jr. and Bobby Rush, as well as Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. All on hand said Fantasia's singing was a highlight, described as heartfelt and moving.
The three victims were found shot to death late last month, the adults in Donerson's home and Julian in a vehicle found several miles away. Julian is the son of Jennifer Hudson's older sister, Julia Hudson.
Though no one has been charged in the shootings, authorities have called Julia Hudson's estranged husband, 27-year-old William Balfour, a "person of interest." He remains in custody on a parole violation.
Shenika Bowers, 35, of Chicago was one of several dozen people who stood outside the church in hopes of sharing sympathies with the singer-actress. Plastic covered a tall gated fence in back of the large church, blocking the public from seeing a small rear courtyard entrance.
"She needs us right now," Bowers said of Hudson. "She needs support from everyone who she can get it from. I cannot imagine how she feels but I do feel for her."
Latosha Funches, 33, of Chicago, said she's been a Hudson fan since the singer was on "American Idol" and just wanted to pass along her condolences.
"I have kids of my own too," said Funches, who pushed her 11-month-old son in a stroller. "I know how she feels. I just hope she can get through it. She looks like she's very strong."
Monday's services followed a public memorial held Sunday at Pleasant Gift Memorial Baptist Church, Hudson's childhood church.
The bodies of Donerson and Jason Hudson were discovered Oct. 24 at the family's home. Julian's body was found three days later in a sport utility vehicle on the city's West Side.
Police arrested Balfour the same day the bodies of Donerson and Hudson were discovered. After 48 hours -- the longest Chicago police can hold a person without charges -- Balfour was taken by the Illinois Department of Corrections on a parole violation.
Balfour had served seven years for a 1999 attempted murder and vehicular hijacking conviction.
His mother, Michelle Balfour, of Chicago, has denied that her son had anything to do with the deaths.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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