CHICAGO (AP) - A gift of balloons. That, prosecutors contend, is what sent Jennifer Hudson's then brother-in-law into such a jealous rage that he shot dead her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in a horrific act of vindictiveness in the home where the Hollywood star grew up.

A prosecutor is expected to tell jurors that during opening statements at the trial of William Balfour - charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the Oct. 24, 2008, slayings that generated nationwide headlines because of Hudson's fame.