A judge from Southern California, convicted of second-degree murder for shooting his wife following an argument, is scheduled for sentencing this Wednesday.
Jeffrey Ferguson, an Orange County Superior Court Judge, could face a sentence ranging up to 40 years to life in prison. The 74-year-old has been detained since April when a jury found him guilty of murder and felony gun enhancements.
The prosecution stated that Ferguson, a long-time judge and former criminal prosecutor, used a gun from his ankle holster in August 2023 to shoot his wife. This followed a dispute over family finances that began at a restaurant and continued later at home while watching “Breaking Bad” in Anaheim Hills.
Ferguson, who presided over criminal cases until his arrest, admitted to shooting his wife, Sheryl, but said it was an accident.
This case has stirred the legal community in Orange County, where many, including District Attorney Todd Spitzer, have known or worked with Ferguson for years. The county has a population of 3 million and is located between Los Angeles and San Diego.
To avoid a conflict of interest, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter has presided over Ferguson’s trial.
An initial jury could not reach a consensus in March, resulting in a mistrial. However, a second jury in April found Ferguson guilty of second-degree murder and the related gun charges.
Ferguson’s attorney, Frances Prizzia, requested a new trial, arguing that the short interval between the two trials and the unavailability of a crucial witness were unfair to her client. This motion was denied on Wednesday.
During the trial, prosecutors said Ferguson had been drinking before he made a gun-like hand gesture toward his wife of 27 years while arguing with her at a Mexican restaurant on Aug. 3, 2023. Prosecutors said the quarrel continued at home while the couple was watching TV with their adult son, Phillip, and Sheryl Ferguson challenged her husband to point a real gun at her. He did, then pulled the trigger, prosecutors said.
Ferguson, who had experience and training in firearms, testified that he was removing the gun from his ankle holster to place it on a table cluttered with other items when he fumbled it due to an injured shoulder, and it went off.
Immediately after the shooting, Ferguson and his son called 911, and Ferguson texted his court clerk and bailiff saying, “I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry,” according to a copy of a text message shown to jurors.
Ferguson spoke with police outside his home and while in custody. In video shown at trial, he was seen sobbing and saying his son and everyone would hate him, and pleading for a jury to convict him.
After Ferguson’s arrest, authorities said they found 47 weapons, including the gun used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at his home.
Ferguson began his legal career in the district attorney’s office in 1983 and went on to work on narcotics cases, winning various awards. He became a judge in 2015 and presided over criminal cases in the Orange County city of Fullerton, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the court where he is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday.
