Many threats before Hudson killings

The man accused of killing Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew had threatened to kill members of the family at least two dozen times before the October 2008 slayings, a prosecutor said during a Friday hearing in Chicago. Assistant State's Attorney James McKay said the threats began in February 2008, when James Balfour moved out of the family's house, where he had been living with his wife, Hudson's sister Julia. The threats continued until the day the bodies were found, on Oct. 24, 2008. "He said, ‘If you ever leave me, I'm going to kill you, but I'm going to kill your family first,'" McKay said at the hearing. "‘You will be the last to die.'" Prosecutors allege Balfour shot the family members because he was furious his wife was dating another man. Balfour has pleaded not guilty. Hudson told investigators she'd known Balfour since childhood and had advised her sister against marrying him.