Balfour's Troubles Go Way Back

William Balfour grappled with depression and rage for years before his arrest in the Jennifer Hudson family killings, the Chicago Tribune reports. The son of a convicted killer, Balfour lived in and out of correctional facilities, suffering physical abuse at home and smoking dope to quell his anger. After serving 8 years for attempted murder, he tried to turn his life around—by marrying Jennifer Hudson's sister.

"The youngster harbors deep-seated feelings of hostility toward the maternal figure, whom he views as cruel and punitive," a counselor once wrote of him. Balfour fought with his wife Julia, who said Balfour threatened her life. On a day they argued, Balfour allegedly went to the Hudson home and opened fire. Balfour's mother later cried at a police station and told reporters her son was innocent. "I didn't raise no murderer," she said.
(More William Balfour stories.)