Jennifer Hudson’s childhood home in Chicagocrime.

The Dream Girls star’s mother Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother Jason Hudson, 29, were found sH๏τ to death inside the Englewood home Donerson shared with Hudson’s older sister, Julia on October 24, 2008.

Hudson’s seven-year-old nephew Julian King – Julia’s son – was reported missing from the home, but was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the back of an abandoned SUV days later with multiple gunsH๏τ wounds.

In July 2012 Julia’s estranged husband William Balfour – then 27 – was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion.

He was sentenced to three life sentences without the possibility of parole, followed by 120 years for other crimes. 

Crosses, stuffed animals and candles in remembrance of the victims were once placed in the four-bed home’s yard on Chicago’s South Side but these have since been taken down.

Jennifer Hudson’s childhood home in Chicago where her mom and brother were gunned down in 2008 has been pictured for the first time since the horrific crime

Hudson has previously opened up about her immense grief following the murders and said her son’s birth in 2009 ‘saved my life’ – pictured April 2024

A red cross on the decrepit house’s door indicates it is structurally dangerous while the doors and windows have been boarded up.

The white two-story house has chipped paint while its front steps are crumbling.

In 2020 the home was put on the market by the Cook County Land Bank Authority for $20,000 but it is unknown if the home ever found a buyer.

The home sits vacant behind a rusty iron fence that separates a yard from the cracked sidewalk.

Hudson has previously opened up about her immense grief following the murders and said her son David’s birth in 2009 ‘saved her life.’

In 2015 she told Glamour: ‘It’s frustrating as hell to me to have somebody who ain’t lost nothing try to talk to me about it. I want to say, ‘Don’t even bother, because you know nothing.’ But you never know how much you can get through until you’re going through it.’

‘I went from being an aunt, having a mom, and being a child to not having a mom, becoming a mom, and raising my own child. I tell David all the time, “You saved my life.”‘

Hudson admitted in the past she did not know how to respond after suffering such mᴀssive loss. 

She said: ‘There were so many shocks involved in it. Like, who do I grieve for first? Or, who do I start with? 

‘It’s bits and pieces. It’s too much. You’re confused. Your emotions are confused.’ 

The Dream Girls star’s mother Darnell Donerson, 57, (center) and brother Jason Hudson were found sH๏τ to death inside the Englewood home Donerson shared with Hudson’s older sister, Julia (right) on October 24, 2008.

Jason Hudson was 29 when he was murdered in his home

Hudson’s seven-year-old nephew Julian King – Julia’s son – was reported missing from the home, but was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the back of an abandoned SUV days later with multiple gunsH๏τ wounds

In a 2014 interview with The Guardian’s Observer, the star has opened up about the heartache she suffered all those years ago.

‘I have definitely seen the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows,’ the actress explained. ‘You don’t know how strong you are until you are placed in that kind of moment.’

Speaking about how she deals with the grief, she said: ‘If I close my eyes, I can almost remember what it was like, what I was like, 15 years ago. I was at home in Chicago, still in high school, singing in church, living with my family.

‘But generally, no, it feels like another Jennifer life. I don’t look the same. I’m a mother now. So many things have changed. I sometimes think the only constant is my voice. That hasn’t gone away.’

Jennifer explained how her performance at the 2012 Super Bowl, where she sang Star-Spangled Banner with the children of Sandy Hook High School, came soon after Balfour’s long trail of justice.

In July 2012 Julia’s estranged husband William Balfour – then 27 – was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion

A red cross on the decrepit house’s door indicates it is structurally dangerous while the doors and windows have been boarded up

The white two-story house has chipped paint while its front steps are crumbling

The home shows visible signs of wear and tear 16 years after the killings

A boarded up door was seen on the property

In 2020 the home was put on the market by the Cook County Land Bank Authority for $20,000 but it is unknown if the home ever found a buyer

Julia is now believed to be in a $2million mansion bought for her by Hudson

‘In many ways the trial was the most dreadful part of it all,” she added. ‘But again I know my mother would not have wanted us to miss a beat, so we were there every day.

‘I wouldn’t wish it on anyone to have to experience anything like that, but that is what you do for your family, so that is what we did…’