Jennifer Hudson Family Murders

Jennifer Kate Hudson's rise to fame came about quickly in 2004, after she became one of the finalists on the third season of the FOX television series American Idol. Hudson's celebrity quickly increased, and she landed a starring role in the 2006 motion picture Dreamgirls. Her appearance in that film won her numerous awards, including an Academy Award for best supporting actress and a Golden Globe Award. Hudson's numerous successes led to her signing a record deal with Arista Records, with whom she recently released her debut album.
Hudson's dreams became a reality and, for all intents and purposes, she was well on her way to having everything she wanted from life. Unfortunately, many of those dreams were shattered in October 2008, when Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and her brother, Jason Hudson, 29, were found shot to death in Darnell's home. A third victim, Hudson's nephew, Julian King, 7, was found dead roughly three days later in a vehicle on Chicago's West Side.
On Dec. 1, 2008, Chicago police announced that the estranged husband of Hudson's sister, Julia, 27-year-old William Balfour, was a prime suspect in the case. Police arrested Balfour and charged him with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion.
Balfour has a previous criminal record, which includes a seven-year prison stint for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Balfour maintains his innocence in the case. He is currently being held without bail. A trial date has not yet been set.

Orenthal James "O. J." Simpson

O.J. Simpson is a man of many hats -- retired professional football player, commercial spokesman, business owner, actor and convicted felon. The latter of those personas has caused him to go from "hero" to "zero" in recent years.

Simpson's downfall dates back to 1989, when he separated from his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and pled no contest to a domestic violence charge. Roughly five years later, on June 12, 1994, Nicole and a friend, Ronald Goldman, were found dead outside Brown's condominium. Simpson was arrested and charged with the murders, in what became one of the most widely publicized criminal cases in American history. The case went to trial; on Oct. 3, 1995, a jury found Simpson "not guilty" of committing the murders. Although Simpson did was found not guilty of the felony, he was not as lucky when the case went to civil trial for wrongful death, where he was found liable. As a result of that ruling, Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to the families of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman.
Simpson has continued to make headlines in recent years, including his involvement in a book entitled If I Did It, along with alleged confessions, which were published in a book by Simpson's former friend, Mike Gilbert.
The most recent downfall for Simpson came in September 2007, when he and three other men went to a hotel-casino in Nevada and took sports memorabilia at gunpoint. Simpson later told the police that he was only retrieving stolen items; however investigators disagreed with that story, and Simpson was arrested and charged with multiple felony counts, including kidnapping, assault, robbery, criminal conspiracy and using a deadly weapon.
Simpson pled not guilty to the charges; however, his lackluster defense did little to sway the jury, and, on Oct. 10, 2008, he was found guilty on all counts.
The sentencing aspect of the case took place Dec. 5, 2008. Prior to sentencing, Simpson addressed the court, apologizing for his actions.
"In no way did I mean to hurt anybody and to steal anything from anyone," Simpson said. "I didn’t think that I was doing anything illegal.  I thought I was retrieving my things. So I am sorry."
In sentencing Simpson, Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass said that it was against the law in the state of Nevada to take back property by force.
"It's much more than stupidity," Glass said. "You went to the room took guns, meaning you and the group, you used force, you took property whether yours or someone else's. That amounts to robbery."
Glass sentenced Simpson to a total of 33 years in prison. Simpson will have to serve at least nine years behind bars before he is eligible for parole.
Simpson's lead attorney, Yale Galanter, is appealing the conviction.

Caylee Anthony

 

The case of Casey Anthony and her missing 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, has captured the attention of the nation as no other in recent history.
Is 22-year-old Anthony a habitual liar who is purposely misleading Florida investigators in their search for her daughter? On the other hand, is she secretly protecting her daughter, as her family claims? Whichever is the case, no one has seen Caylee since June 2008, and her mother has been unable to provide investigators with any solid information as to her daughter’s whereabouts.
According to police, Caylee was last seen by her grandparents on June 15. Over the course of the next month, Anthony reportedly made several excuses to explain her daughter's absence, including telling friends and family members that Caylee was with her "nanny."  The stories allegedly varied, with Anthony claiming that her daughter was at various locations with the nanny, including Disneyland, Universal Studios and the beach.
When confronted about her daughter's whereabouts, in July 2008, Anthony claimed that the nanny had kidnapped her some 31 days prior and that she had been busy conducting her own investigation. Since that time, investigators have uncovered a bizarre web of lies, which has led them to believe that Anthony is responsible for her daughter's disappearance.
In October 2008, a Florida grand jury passed down a seven-count indictment against Casey Anthony for first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse, and four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer.
On Dec. 11, 2008, an Orange County water-meter reader discovered child skeletal remains inside a black plastic garbage bag near Chickasaw Trail and Suburban Drive in Orlando -- approximately three-tenths of a mile from the home of Casey Anthony. The worker immediately notified police, and the area was cordoned off as a crime scene. The FBI is currently conducting DNA tests on the remains so that they can positively identify them. According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, they are operating under the belief that the remains are that of Caylee Anthony.
Anthony proclaims her innocence in the case, maintaining that her daughter has been kidnapped. She has not yet been tried on any of the charges and is scheduled to go to court early next year.