A Southern California judge was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of his wife during an argument.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, was on trial for the 2023 killing of his wife Sheryl, 65, in their Anaheim Hills home. Ferguson took the stand in his defense and admitted to shooting his wife but claimed it was an accident.
Jurors reached their decision Tuesday afternoon after deliberating since the day before. He was also found guilty of a felony gun enhancement and faces a maximum of 40 years to life in prison when he is sentenced June 13.
Once the verdict was read in court, Ferguson was seen hugging his son before he was handcuffed and taken into custody.
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Ferguson’s attorney, Cameron Talley, said the defense plans to appeal the verdict.
“I respect the jury’s verdict,” Talley said. “At the same time, we all know that juries don’t always get it right … I still believe in Jeff.”
The verdict comes after a previous jury deadlocked last month and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter declared a mistrial. Hunter was overseeing the case to avoid a conflict of interest with the Superior Court in Orange County, where Ferguson presided over criminal cases before the shooting.
Prosecutors said Ferguson and his wife had an argument about finances at a restaurant on Aug. 3, 2023, when he made a gun-like hand gesture toward her. They continued their argument when they returned home as they watched TV with their adult son, and Ferguson’s wife chided him to point a real gun at her. He obliged, pulling a pistol from his ankle holster before shooting her in the chest.
Ferguson was drunk at the time, according to prosecutors.
He testified that he was pulling the gun from his ankle holster to place it on a table when he fumbled it and it discharged.
After the shooting, Ferguson and his son both called 911, and Ferguson texted his court clerk and bailiff confessing to the killing.
“I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry,” Ferguson wrote.
His son Phillip testified that he tackled his father to wrestle the gun away after the shooting and that he performed CPR on his mother.
Ferguson spoke with police outside his home and again when he was in custody. He was seen on video sobbing and saying his son and everyone would hate him. He also admitted he killed his wife and asked for a jury to convict him.
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Authorities said they found 47 weapons, including the gun used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition in the home. They said Ferguson had experience and training in firearms.
“This was not an accident. Ferguson was trained to never point a gun at anything he didn’t intend to destroy,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
Ferguson was a prosecutor before he became a judge in 2015.
He had been out on $2 million bail but was not presiding in court as the state constitution prohibits a judge facing a felony charge from hearing cases.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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