AMERICAN IDOL - JENNIFER HUDSON'S BROTHER-IN-LAW ARRESTED OVER KILLINGS

JENNIFER HUDSON'S BROTHER-IN-LAW ARRESTED OVER KILLINGS

William Balfour, the estranged brother-in-law of American Idol star Jennifer Hudson, has been arrested over the murder of her mother, brother and nephew.

Hudson's mother and brother were found dead at the Oscar-winning actress' family home in Chicago on October 24th.

After a police search for her missing seven-year-old nephew Julian King, he was found dead in the backseat of an abandoned SUV three days later, all three victims having died from gunshot wounds.

Twenty-seven-year-old William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia King, has been in custody on a parole violation for the last month.

And he has now been transferred back into police custody following an arrest warrant, a Cook County sheriff's department spokeswoman confirmed.

He had previously only been identified as a "person of interest" in the case.

"He vehemently denies that he is guilty in this case," Balfour's attorney Joshua Kutnick told reporters outside police headquarters on Monday night.

"Any evidence pointing to Mr Balfour is not even thin. It is very, very weak."

Balfour, who has served prison time for attempted murder and car hijacking, was arrested soon after Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found dead.

Jennifer Hudson's career was launched after her appearance as a contestant on American Idol in 2005.

She then won an Oscar for her performance in Dreamgirls and was also seen in hit film Sex and the City.