William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia, is due to stand trial in April (12) on first degree murder charges in connection to the October, 2008 slayings of the singer/actress' mother Darnell, brother Jason and seven-year-old nephew Julian King in their native Chicago.

Lawyers for Balfour appeared in court on Tuesday (14Feb12) and argued that arresting officers had no right to take their client into custody because they had no "probable cause". They also claimed that evidence gathered in the case against Balfour was allegedly obtained without a search warrant.

However, Cook County Judge Charles Burns dismissed the motion to free the 30 year old and ruled the arrest was "proper, particularly given that Balfour had previously threatened his estranged wife".

He added, "There's no reason to deny the veracity of prior threats."

Detectives reportedly made the link between Balfour and the murders after finding gunshot residue on his car's steering wheel. The bodies of Darnell, 57, and Jason, 29, were discovered in the family's Chicago home and the little boy was found three days later in an abandoned SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle).

Balfour will next appear in court on 23 February (12).