Defense rests in Hudson family murder trial

CHICAGO (AP) — Attorneys for the man accused of killing Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew put on a brief defense Tuesday, calling two police detectives to testify before resting their case.

Hudson's former brother-in-law, William Balfour, has pleaded not guilty in the slayings. He did not take the stand in his own defense.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday morning, and jurors will then begin deliberations.

With no surviving witnesses to the slayings, prosecutors have spent two weeks laying out a largely circumstantial case against Balfour. Defense attorneys have been critical of that, and before a lunch break, defense attorney Amy Thompson asked the judge to dismiss the charges against Balfour, saying prosecutors had called no direct witnesses.

Judge Charles Burns denied the motion, which is commonly made by defense attorneys after prosecutors rest.

Witnesses have testified that the 30-year-old Balfour, who is the ex-husband of Hudson's sister, threatened to kill members of the Hudson family numerous times.

On Tuesday, prosecutors showed pictures of Hudson's nephew in the SUV where his body was found. When he was first found, a detective said there was a shower curtain over the boy's body. He had been shot in the head, and at least one bullet went through the floor of the vehicle.

Jennifer Hudson has sat through the trial on fourth-row bench, hanging her head during particularly grim testimony. She took the stand last month as prosecutors' first witness, testifying about the last time she saw her family alive. She also spoke about how much she always disliked Balfour.