Star Power! Jurors Admitted They Knew Who Jennifer Hudson Was Before The Trial (DETAILS)

Looks like Jennifer Hudson's fame did play a factor when her brother-in-law was William Balfour was found guilty on three counts of murder.

STORY: Verdict Reached In Jennifer Hudson Family Murder Trial 

According to TMZ, almost all the jurors admitted they knew who she was before the trial began. Of the final 12, five of the jurors admitted they had seen Hudson in Dreamgirls and six said they recognized Jennifer from her days on American Idol.

The lone juror who didn't see Jen's Oscar winning performance or Idol said he knew Hudson from television ... but didn't specify which show he recognized her from.  

One legal expert tells us ... Hudson's level of celebrity probably didn't hurt the case against Balfour ... because jurors tend to identify with famous people. 

Balfour was found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder by a jury last week:

First-degree murder of Darnell Donerson: GUILTY

First-degree murder of Jason Hudson:  GUILTY

First-degree murder of Julian King: GUILTY

Aggravated Kidnapping: GUILTY

Residential Burglary: GUILTY

Possession of a Stolen Vehicle: GUILTY

Prosecutors proved that Balfour had the motive to kill Hudson’s brother, mother and nephew, as he was upset that his estranged wife, Hudson's sister, Julia, wanted a divorce and was seeing another man.

All the evidence indicated that Balfour was near the Hudson family home in Englewood on the October 2008 morning that Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57; brother Jason Hudson, 29; and 7-year-old nephew Julian King were fatally shot.

Julian’s body was found three days later in an SUV stolen from the Hudson home. Balfour did not take the stand during the trial as his lawyers only put two witnesses to testify, while the state presented 83 witnesses over 11 days of testimony.