Hudson star power to complicate murder trial

Accustomed to wearing Vera Wang gowns on red carpets, singing at the Grammys or autographing her weight-loss memoir, Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson’s next role will be under a very different spotlight — in Chicago’s drab criminal courts building at the trial of the man charged with murdering her mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew.

The Hollywood star’s presence, and the accompanying media hubbub, is bound to affect the proceedings, which begin today. That is when presiding Judge Charles Burns plans to start questioning would-be jurors one by one, trying to weed out anyone who could be swayed by Hudson’s celebrity status.

Hudson, 30, is expected to be at the trial every day once testimony begins, court officials say, and she’s on the 300-name list of witnesses who could testify. While the judge will warn prospective jurors to avoid watching TV coverage of the trial, they may see Hudson on American Idol on Thursday.

Legal experts agree that the main challenge at trials involving megastars is identifying 12 jurors able and willing to assess guilt solely on what they hear in court.

Prosecutors say William Balfour, the 30-year-old estranged husband of Hudson’s sister, shot the family in a jealous rage because Julia Hudson was dating another man.

The bodies of Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother, Jason Hudson, 29, were found shot to death in the family’s home on Oct 24, 2008. The body of her nephew, Julian King, was found in a vehicle several miles away days later.

Balfour’s attorneys say the evidence is circumstantial, though prosecutors say proof he committed the crime will include gun residue found on his car’s steering wheel.