Archive for the ‘biological father’ tag
NY Endangered Missing Child: Marc Anthony Bookal
4.16.10: Remains positively ID'd
Original Post: December 15, 2009Updated: 4.16.10Sources
The story is so familiar it is becoming very tiring. Mother has small child and live-in boyfriend. Boyfriend is not the biological father of the child. Mother leaves her child in the care of the boyfriend. Child is reported missing. Boyfriend is taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor child endangerment and a parole violation. Mother speaks to the media and is pretty much not wanting to discuss those “nasty rumors” 
circulating about her son’s hands being burned two months ago while he was in the care of the boyfriend. She just wants everyone to focus on finding her little boy.
As I said in the previous paragraph, this scenario is becoming far too commonplace and the outcomes are usually tragic.
Marc Anthony Bookal, 4, was last seen inside his Newburgh City, New York apartment by his mother’s boyfriend, Cory Byrd, 30. Cory told police he was getting the child ready to go visit relatives at about 1 p.m. on Monday December 14. He then noticed the front door to the apartment was open and Marc was no where to be found. He checked at a neighbor’s home where Marc liked to play, but he was not there. It has not been reported in the media who called authorities to report Marc’s disappearance, how long it took between the discovered disappearance and the reporting of the disappearance, or where Marc’s mother was while he was in the care of Cory Byrd.
Police checked the area block by block. They say there were no sightings of the 4-year-old walking down the street by himself. There have been no sightings of a 4-year-old walking around by himself in the middle of the night last night either.
Today, police arrested Cory Byrd and charged him with child endangerment, a misdemeanor, for allowing him to wander outside by himself. They also charged him with a parole violation. I have been covering stories about missing and murdered children for quite a few years now and I cannot recall one time when a caretaker or parent was taken into custody for child endangerment when their child disappeared from inside the house “for allowing the child to wander off”. Maybe authorities have good reason to put him behind bars based on his past history with children.
According to an article published in August 1998, Cory Byrd was jailed after he was charged with seriously harming his 1-year-old son. The injuries to 1-year-old Christian Caston included the following:
“…a fractured skull, several broken ribs, a broken wrist and a perforated liver,…”
Just like Marc’s injuries two months ago and his current disappearance, at the time of Christian’s injuries there was no one else caring for the child except for Cory Byrd. Bryd served several years in prison for the assault on his son and on other charges and was recently paroled in April of this year.
I wonder why Marc’s mother allowed her boyfriend to remain in the home, let alone babysit her son given the fact Marc sustained burns to his hands just two months ago while in the care of Cory Byrd and given his criminal history. Police have asked her to come down to headquarters for further questioning; however, she says she isn’t going anywhere until she finds her son. She wants police to stop thinking of her boyfriend as a suspect and look for her son. I wonder when she will get a clue.
Journalists are taught to be objective when reporting about a story. They usually tread carefully when describing situations that have happened where children have been abused. Having said that, I was surprised to read the following in a story written by Times Herald-Record reporter Michael Randall regarding Byrd’s past conviction:
Ten years ago, Byrd was convicted of first-degree reckless endangerment, a felony, and sentenced to 1 1/3 to four years in prison for beating up another of Bookal’s sons, who was 14 months old at the time.
Child protective services is now investigating the disappearance to determine if there was neglect involved. It appears it is once again a case of too little too late.
It is the season for miracles. Maybe Marc did wander off.
Marc Anthony Bookal
Marc is a 4-year-old Black male with light skin. He is 3’5″ tall and weighs approximately 45 pounds. Marc has a medium-length brown Afro and brown eyes. When last seen he was wearing a red, long-sleeved shirt, white Nike sneakers, and gray sweatpants. He is not wearing a jacket.
Anyone with information is urged to call Newburgh City Police Department at (845) 561-3131
December 16, 2009: 3 p.m. PST
It is really to say but Marc has not been located. Today authorities are focusing their search on the city’s waterfront and have expanded the water search to include the Hudson River. They are also searching along the railroad tracks. To me, it sounds as if they are looking for his body. As I said previously, Marc’s mother should get a clue, go into that jail, and knock Cory Byrd upside his sorry head and demand he tell her where he put her son’s body. Of course, she is not ready to get a clue.
December 17, 2009: 1:20 p.m. PST
According to RecordOnline.com, the press conference planned by police for this afternoon in front of Marc Bookal’s home has been unexpectedly canceled. No reason was given for the change in plans.
December 17, 2009: 6:30 p.m. PST
I think this picture says it all about how desolate the search for Marc is becoming in the fourth day. It is such a vast body of water, if he is in the water his body will probably never be found. I read somewhere today the reason for searching the waterfront and the river is because the bloodhounds hit on a scent.
The media has not mentioned police interviewing area sex offenders and I am not sure why that has not been mentioned or if it has or has not been done. A search of the New York state Sex Offender Registry for zip code 12550 revealed several registered sex offenders. The law only allows for Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders to appear on the public registry because they are deemed the most likely to reoffend and pose more of a danger to the community.
It appears that most of the registered sex offenders live together in various addresses within that zip code. I am guessing that the majority are being housed in area motels. What is troubling is there are two registered sex offenders living on Marc Bookal’s street.
“A” indicates Marc’s address at 11 Benkard Avenue. “B” indicates a registered sex offender living across the street from Marc’s home. MapQuest said it takes 3 seconds to get from point “A” to point “B” and that is driving directions. “B” is a Level 3 sex offender. “C” indicates the other registered sex offender living on Marc’s street. He is a Level 2 sex offender. I hope police have questioned these two sex offenders living so closely to the location of Marc’s disappearance. I am not going to give the addresses or names of these sex offenders because they have not even been questioned. I am only mentioning them for the reasons stated above – have the police checked them out?
December 18, 2009: 5:30 p.m. PST
Marc is still missing and the search is still ongoing with the addition of search and recovery dogs from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Cory Byrd is still in jail. When he was arrested on Monday he asked for an attorney during questioning so police have not been able to question him since that time. Today, they asked him to take a polygraph examination and authorities are waiting for an answer from his attorney regarding taking that exam. I wonder if Christina has asked Byrd why he needs a lawyer.
If I believed Byrd’s story about Marc wandering away from home, and if, Marc got lost most likely he succumbed to the elements or dehydration on Monday night. Marc was not wearing a coat when he disappeared and now there is a winter storm watch in effect for this weekend. I really don’t believe Byrd’s story.
December 19, 2009: 2:45 p.m. PST
Police announced today during a news conference that an anonymous donor has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of Marc Bookal. Police also stated that due to the impending snow storm, expected this evening, the search for Marc will be suspended until Monday. They have made an extra effort to search in the area around Marc’s home and the surrounding neighborhood today. They also asked people in the area to be aware of anything that seems out of place around their homes and report it to police.
December 21, 2009: 4:45 p.m. PST
Marc is still missing. Police reported today that Marc’s mother, Christina Bookal and his biological father, Yul Bookal, have both taken polygraph examinations. Police did not mention the results of those tests. They are still waiting for an answer from Cody Byrd’s attorney for the request made earlier in the week for his client to agree to submit to a polygraph examination and further questioning.
Meanwhile, the reward fund has grown to $16,000. Another anonymous donor added $5,000 to the pot and the organization Carlie’s Crusade Foundation is offering an additional $1,000. Authorities are also seeking more leads including anyone having video surveillance footage in the Southeast corner of the city. Police want to review that video. If you would like to make a donation to the reward fund you can contact police. To make a donation to the Carlie’s Crusade reward contact their website Carlie’s Crusade Foundation or call them at (800)496-6720 or 309-2961.
I haven’t seen the plea in the media yet by Christina Bookal to the person who has her son to please bring him home. However, his father did make that plea early on. All I have seen from Christina is a plea for the police to stop looking at her boyfriend as a suspect and to start looking for her son.
December 22, 2009: 10:30 a.m. PST
Police revealed today that Marc’s biological parents both appeared truthful in their responses on the polygraph exams. Police also revealed today that Cody Byrd declined through his attorney to submit to a polygraph exam. I can say that this is no surprise to me. Of course he has the right to refuse the exam and in most states the results are not admissible in court; however, if he has nothing to hide and if it would help clear him of any involvement in Marc’s disappearance, why not take the exam? There is only one reason I can think of that he would refuse to take the polygraph and that is he has something to hide. I am not saying he is guilty of doing something to Marc, I am just saying he must have something to hide.
It was also announced today that the Carlie’s Crusade Foundation has changed the terms of their $1,000 reward offer. Originally it was offered for information leading to Marc’s safe return. Now they have changed the terms to any information leading to Marc’s location no matter the outcome. Police too, are becoming less hopeful of finding Marc alive. It has been 8 days.
December 28, 2009: 3 p.m. PST
Mark is still missing and his mother is still criticizing the police investigation into his disappearance. She is upset because they will not share with her where they are searching or what leads they are following. Christine also is of the opinion that police were not as thorough from the beginning as they should have been:
“If it were one of theirs, they’d have the whole … town flipped upside down,” she said.
I have my own opinion about Christine. She does not mention whether she went to visit her boyfriend in jail to ask him to please take the polygraph examination he has refused to take. She does not mention whether she asked her boyfriend why he won’t submit to the polygraph exam.
I admit, I do not live in Newburgh. However, the news coverage has shown a tireless search for Mark by police officers in terrible weather conditions. It would be nice if Christine showed just a bit of gratitude for the effort being made to find her son, the son she left in the care of a convicted child abuser. She is not the victim.
January 8, 2010: 3 p.m. PST
Just days after police announced the end of their ground search for Marc Bookal and one day after it was announced that Cory Byrd hired a high-profile attorney to defend him, police resumed the ground search. They said they received new information and are concentrating their search in the area of Marc Bookal’s street. The search included a vacant elementary school and some other buildings in the area and is expected to continue through Saturday.
Cory Byrd’s new attorney, Gary Greenwald, told the media that there is more to the disappearance than what the public knows. Spoken like a true defense attorney, Greenwald gave the following explanation regarding his new client’s refusal to submit to a lie detector test:
“The people who are observing this case don’t know the circumstances of how that was asked of him,” Greenwald said of the polygraph test.
He declined to detail those circumstances in advance of his client’s court appearances but said people should keep an open mind until the facts come out.
The first thought that came into my mind when I read the above quote was the police either did not say “Would you please take a polygraph exam?” or they didn’t smile when asking Byrd to take the test. Of course I am being sarcastic.
I wonder who is paying for this attorney Greenwald’s services. He has his own law firm with several offices and was a former mayor. He is replacing Byrd’s legal aid attorney. Since one has to qualify for legal aid service by showing a lack of income or low income, it makes me wonder how Byrd can now afford a private attorney.
January 16, 2010
Cory Byrd appeared in court with his attorney yesterday. There was no discussion regarding the charges for which he is currently being held – endangering the welfare of a child and his parole violation. Instead, his attorney produced a demand for information from the prosecution detailing a list of items they want access to which the prosecution declined to turn over. Among the items Byrd’s attorney wants access to are search warrants, results of urine samples and a copy of the arrest report. The prosecution said they will submit in writing to the court on Tuesday their reasons for denying the demands. The prosecution is also considering taking the case against Byrd to a Grand Jury. I am thinking they are seeking to indict Byrd on murder charges. The judge said he will rule on the demand January 25.
Of course Christina Bookal was in court to support her man. I only say that because of what she said to the press after the court hearing:
But Christina Bookal, who remains convinced the boy is still alive, said after attending Byrd’s court appearance that she’s not satisfied that all possible steps are being taken. She continued to criticize police for focusing on Byrd.
“I’m quite sure there are plenty of people who saw something,” she said. “My 4-year-old is out there somewhere. Bring my son home.”
No, Christina, Cory needs to tell what happened to Marc.
March 5, 2010
Marc is still missing. The charge against Cory Byrd of endangering the welfare of a child was dropped just after the snow thawed enough to allow the court proceeding to continue. Byrd is not quite completely out of the woods. Byrd was still facing the violation of probation charge and the judge sentenced him to 15 months in jail. Apparently when Byrd was arrested the day of Marc’s disappearance he tested positive for marijuana and that violated his parole. I am going to guess that he will only be serving just a little over a year of the 15 month sentence because he has been incarcerated since December.
The reason the prosecutors gave for dropping the child endangerment charge is they did not want to have to turn over information they have gathered during their investigation to the defense. Also, they do not have enough evidence to charge Byrd with homicide at this time. If they jump the gun and charge him too soon with homicide and he beats the charge then he can never stand trial for the crime again. It is better to wait until they have solid proof that Byrd harmed Marc.
March 24, 2010: 2 p.m. PST
Authorities are reporting they have located a small body behind a home in Newburgh they believe to be that of Marc Bookal. The home in question is located at 20-22 Edwards Street – about three blocks from Marc’s home. Authorities have notified Marc’s mother of the discovery.
April 16, 2010
The remains located inside a garbage bag, about 3 blocks from the home of Marc Bookal have been positively identified as the missing boy’s. Authorities say Marc’s death was the result of a homicide. No charges have been filed as of this writing.
Police are asking anyone who has information regarding this case to contact contact the City of Newburgh Police Department at 569-7509, or Lt. Patrick Arnold at 569-7508.
Stepfather of Missing Newburgh Boy Marc Anthony Bookal Arrested, Charged with Letting Boy Wander, WPIX.com, Last Accessed: December 15, 2009.
New York State Department of Correctional Services, Last Accessed: December 15, 2009.
Michael Randall, Police Searching Newburgh Waterfront, River for Missing Boy, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: December 16, 2009.
Video: Search Efforts Along the Hudson River for Missing Boy, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: December 16, 2009.
The Search for Marc Bookal, RecordOnline – Times Herald-Record, Last Accessed: December 18, 2009.
Michael Randall, Newburgh Police Want Mother’s Boyfriend in Missing Boy Case to take Polygraph Test, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: December 18, 2009.
Paul Brooks, Reward for Missing Boy Rises to $16,000, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: December 21, 2009.
Doyle Murphy, Reward Acknowledges Possibility of Grim Outcome, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: December 22, 2009.
Michael Randall, Police Resume Ground Search for Missing 4-Year-Old, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: January 8, 2010.
Doyle Murphy, Corey Byrd Gets 15 Months for Parole Violation, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: March 5, 2010.
Doyle Murphy, Newburgh Police Believe They’ve Found the Remains of Missing Boy, RecordOnline, Last Accessed: March 24, 2010.
Police ID Body in Bag as Missing Newburgh Boy, WCBSTV.com, Last Accessed: April 16, 2010.
- Heather Yakin, Baby is Critical; Father Charged, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: December 16, 2009. [↩]
- Doyle Murphy, Missing Newburgh Boy’s Mom Wants More Info, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: December 29, 2009. [↩]
- Doyle Murphy, Greenwald to Defend Boyfriend of Missing Boy’s Mom, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: January 8, 2010. [↩]
- Michael Randall, Defense Demands Evidence in Newburgh’s Missing Child Case, RecordOnline.com, Last Accessed: January 16, 2010. [↩]
CO & WY AMBER Alert: Patterson Siblings
A Colorado AMBER Alert has been activated this evening for two little girls from Aurora after a woman’s body was found inside the home they resided in with their parents. At this point the body has not been positively identified; however, authorities believe the woman is the mother of Brianna, age 4 years and Aliyah, age 3 years.
Court records show the girls’ mother, Pamela Patterson, filed for divorce in January in Arapahoe county. A next-door neighbor told reporters that Pamela had moved out of the home after filing for the divorce.
A friend of Pamela’s asked authorities to check on her because he had not seen her for several days. The woman’s body was found inside the home at 10:40a.m. by police; however, crime scene investigators were unable to enter the home until a search warrant was obtained at 5p.m. this evening.
The Denver Post is reporting that the father and estranged husband, Brian Patterson, is not considered a suspect at this time; however he and the two children have not been seen since Monday afternoon.
Even though the Denver Post is quoting law enforcement regarding Brian Patterson’s involvement in the death of Pamela Patterson, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s AMBER Alert states the following:
The father of the children is a person of interest in the death investigation.
IF CONTACT IS MADE DO NOT APPROACH…AND CALL LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Anyone having information about this case is asked to call 9-1-1 or the Aurora Colorado Police Department at 1-303-627-3100.
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Victim 1: Brianna Patterson
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Brianna is a four-year-old black female with long curly brown hair and brown eyes. Her height and weight are unknown at this time. Brianna’s date of birth is June 9, 2004.
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Victim 2: Aliyah Patterson
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Aliyah is a three-year-old black female with brown curly hair and brown eyes. Her height and weight are unknown at this time. Aliyah’s date of birth is May 13, 2005.
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Suspect: Brian Patterson (Alias: Kalid Muhammad)
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Brian Patterson is a 38-year-old black male with black hair and blue eyes. He is 6’2″ tall and weighs approximately 235lbs. Brian’s date of birth is March 19, 1971. -
Suspect Vehicle 1
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Red 1991 Isuzu Rodeo with rear-end damage with Colorado license plate 969RTC
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Suspect Vehicle 2
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Silver 2002 Dodge Stratus with Colorado license plate 679SUP
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March 25, 2009: 3:30p.m.
- Brianna and Aliyah’s mother was allegedly murdered by their father, Brian Patterson on Monday or Tuesday. He then fled the area with the two little girls. Supposedly he was upset over his pending divorce. According to his attorney, he visited Brian on Sunday and he was happy. He also went on to say the AMBER Alert was without legal merit because his client had custody of the two girls; therefore the children had not been abducted.
The reason the AMBER Alert was activated was not because of an abduction. The reason for the AMBER Alert was because the mother of the children was found shot to death in the family home and the children were missing. They were considered to be in imminent danger.
Unfortunately for these two little girls, they not only most likely witnessed the murder of their mother, but to make matters worse, they also witnessed their father kill himself inside the vehicle. Patterson died at the hospital last night at 10:30p.m. The children were located and considered ‘safe’. Well, they were considered physically ‘safe’ but they are emotionally scarred for life.
Brianna and Aliyah will be staying with family members under the supervision of Child Protective Service.
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March 24, 2009: 9:30p.m.
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Brianna and Aliyah were found safe tonight in Thornton. The Denver Post is reporting that the suspect, Brian Patterson, has a self-inflicted gun-shot wound. No other information is available at this time.
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March 24, 2009: 8:30p.m.
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Information regarding the last time Brian Patterson was seen with his two daughters has been reported by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. The three were last seen Tuesday morning in north Denver. At that time Brianna was wearing purple flannel pajamas, a red robe and flip-flops. Aliyah was wearing a blue T-shirt, black jogging pants, tennis shoes and a pink robe.
Authorities indicated that they plan to expand the AMBER Alert this evening to include all states.
Also, The Denver Post reported the home where the children live is owned by Pamela Patterson. Furthermore, Brian Patterson had lived in the home in the past; it is unclear where he currently resides.
The Associated Press, Police Looking for Man, 2 Girls, After Woman Dies, The Denver Post, March 24, 2009.
Carlos Illescas, Two Aurora Girls Found Safe, After Woman Found Dead, The Denver Post, March 24, 2009.
Kieran Nicholson, Dad Kills Himself in Front of Aurora Girls, The Denver Post, March 25, 2009.
IL AMBER Alert: Julian King
- Amber Alert Issued for: Illinois – Statewide
- Victim: Julian King
- Julian is a 7-year-old Black male with black hair and brown eyes. He is 4?11? tall and weighs 130lbs. When last seen Julian was wearing a brown polo shirt with stripes and khaki pants.
- Suspect: Unknown
- Suspect Description: Unknown
- Suspect Vehicle 1
- White Chevrolet Suburban with IL License X584859
- Suspect Vehicle 2
- Teal/Green Chrysler Concord four-door with a left front headlight hanging out that is scratched all along its left side with temporary tags of 332K823.
- Circumstances
An Illinois AMBER Alert was activated this afternoon after police found the bodies of two persons in a Chicago home. Police were called to the home by a family member who found the first body; when police arrived they found the second body in a bedroom. Both victims died from gunshot wounds. The child who is missing, 7-year-old Julian King is believed to be the grandson of the female victim. The victims were identified as Darnell Hudson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, both of the same residence in the 7000 block of South Yale Avenue. Darnell Hudson (sometimes referred to as Darnell Donerson), is the mother of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson. Jason Hudson is Jennifer’s brother. The missing child, Julian King is Jennifer’s nephew.
Police have a suspect in custody and he is being questioned. However, they did not locate the missing child with the suspect.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call 9-1-1 telling the dispatcher you have an AMBER Alert report.
- October 26, 2008
- There is still no sign of Julian King. The FBI joined the search on Saturday and a $100,000 reward was offered today by Jennifer Hudson and other family members. Julian’s mother, Julia Hudson, and his biological father made a public plea for his safe return.
Julian’s stepfather and estranged husband of Julia Hudson, William Balfour was taken into custody on Friday night afternoon at the home of his pregnant girlfriend. At first police named him a suspect but after questioning they told the press he is not considered a suspect; he is considered a person of interest in the kidnapping.William Balfour remains in custody and was transferred to a state prison facility after police found him in violation of conditions of parole from a 1999 conviction for attempted murder – he served seven years in state prison for that conviction and was released in 2006. Police say Balfour was originally willing to talk but after awhile he stopped talking. According to reports from police there were discrepancies in Balfour’s alibi regarding his whereabouts on the day of the crime with his girlfriend contradicting his story. Also, Hudson family members have said that Balfour had recently threatened to take Julian away.
William Balfour’s mother, Michele, professes her son’s innocence and claims her loved Julian’s grandmother more than he loved his own mother. Well, time will tell. I sure hope Julian is found safe. Police went back to the home on Saturday to search for him thinking maybe he was hiding somewhere on the property because he was frightened.
- October 27, 2008
- Police received a phone call this morning regarding a suspicious vehicle in the 1300 block of South Kolin Avenue. When they arrived on the scene it was determined to be the white Chevy Suburban that had been taken from the Hudson residence on the day of the shooting. Inside the vehicle was the body of a child believed to be 7-year-old Julian King. The coroner’s office is working this morning to confirm the identity. Police tend to believe this is Julian King because they say they did find bullet casings in his bedroom during the course of the investigation.
This poor little guy. My condolences go out to his family
- 7p.m. PST
- The identity of the boy’s body found in the Chevy Suburban found abandoned on a west Chicago street was positively identified as that of Julian King. The identification was believed to be made by Hudson family members at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Police say Julian was shot to death several times while he sat in the back seat of the SUV. Police are checking the clothing of a man they have in custody (I am thinking William Balfour) for gun shot residue. The SUV was located 2.5 miles away from the apartment of Balfour’s girlfriend where he was taken into custody Friday night.
- November 7, 2008
- A parole hearing is set for Monday to decide if authorities have enough evidence to hold him on the parole violation.
From www.chicagobreakingnews.com:
The hearing before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board is scheduled to be held Monday morning at Stateville Correctional Center, prison officials said. Balfour has not been charged with a crime, but police have developed several pieces of information tying him to the crime scene at the Hudson family South Side home on Oct. 24., the day that the Oscar-winning actress’s mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were killed.
Balfour could be released after the hearing if the parole board decides in his favor.
By all accounts William Balfour should already be back in prison for having been arrested this past summer for possession of cocaine. The charges were eventually dropped and his parole officer decided to not revoke his parole but to ‘supervise him more closely’. On the day of the murders William Balfour missed his scheduled visit with his parole officer. When contacted later that day by phone by his parole officer Balfour told him he was babysitting and that was why he missed his appointment. So much for the closer supervision.
- November 10, 2008
- William Balfour will remain in prison the Illinois Prisoner Review Board ruled today based on information that places the murder weapon in his possession. The source of that information is Balfour’s girlfriend, Shonta Cathey, who said she saw Balfour with the gun that matches the murder weapon. Also, during interrogation William Balfour admitted being at the murder scene on the morning of the murders. Just for good measure the parole board also threw in a violation of parole charge stemming from his June drug arrest. At the time of that arrest the decision was made to not violate him on his parole. William Balfour, not represented by counsel, objected to the information presented during the hearing.
A full parole hearing is scheduled for December 3.
- December 1, 2008
- William Balfour, the step-father of murdered child Julian King, was served with an arrest warrant accusing him of the shooting deaths of his mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and 7-year-old stepson. Balfour was being held on a parole violation at Stateville Correctional Center since the shooting. Another parole hearing was scheduled for December 3, but I guess with the serving of the arrest warrant there is no need for the parole hearing. After serving Balfour with the arrest warrant he was moved to another facility. As of this evening he had not been formally charged. Balfour’s attorney, Joshua Kutnick, maintains his client is innocent of the charges and the police do not have enough evidence to prove his client’s guilt. Balfour’s mother also insists on her son’s innocence.
Angela Rozaz, David Heinzmann, James Janega, Robert Mitchum, and Jeremy Gorner, Source: Hudson Suspect in Custody; Boy Still Missing, Chicago Tribune, October 25, 2008.
Emily Achenbaum, Angela Rosaz, Jeff Long, Jennifer Hudson Offers $100K for Nephew’s Return, Chicago Tribune, October 26, 2008.
Chicago Tribune Team Report, Jennifer Hudson’s Nephew Julian King: Sweet, Gentle, Loved, WGN-TV.com, October 27, 2008.
David Heinzman, Hudson Suspect Won’t be Released from Custody, Chicago Breaking News.com, November 10, 2008.
Don Babwin, Associated Press, Estranged Relative Arrested in Hudson Killings, Detroit Free Press, December 1, 2008.
