Jury convicts a California judge of second-degree murder in his wife’s shooting death

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson appears during a hearing at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Aug. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Jurors convicted a Southern California judge of second-degree murder on Tuesday for fatally shooting his wife while the couple argued and watched television at home.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, was on trial for the 2023 death of his wife Sheryl, 65, in their Anaheim Hills home. Ferguson took the stand in his own defense, admitting to shooting his wife but saying it was an accident.

Jurors reached their decision Tuesday afternoon, a day after deliberations began. After the verdict was read in court, Ferguson was given a moment to hug his son before he was handcuffed and taken into custody. He was also found guilty of a felony gun enhancement and faces a maximum prison term of 40 years to life when he is sentenced June 13.

Ferguson’s attorney Cameron Talley said the defense plans to appeal.

“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 in March and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter declared a mistrial. Hunter has overseen the case to avoid a conflict of interest with the Superior Court in Orange County, where Ferguson presided over criminal cases until the shooting.

The case had roiled the legal community in the county, which is home to 3 million people between Los Angeles and San Diego. Many have known or worked with Ferguson for decades, including Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

“There are no winners here,” Spitzer said during a news conference after the verdict. “Justice was achieved, but I’m very sad for the Ferguson family.”

Prosecutors said Ferguson had been drinking before he made a gun-like hand gesture toward his wife of 27 years during an argument about family finances they had during dinner at a Mexican restaurant on Aug. 3, 2023. Prosecutors said the argument continued at home while the couple was watching “Breaking Bad” on TV with their adult son, and Sheryl Ferguson chided her husband to point a real gun at her. He did, then pulled the trigger, prosecutors said.

Ferguson testified that he was removing the gun from his ankle holster to place it on a table, and fumbled it, and it discharged.

Immediately after the shooting, Ferguson and his son both 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. His son Phillip testified to tackling his father to wrestle the gun away after the shooting and performing CPR on his mother.

Ferguson spoke with police outside his home and again once he was in custody, and was seen on video sobbing and saying his son and everyone would hate him. In the video, he said he killed his wife and pleaded for a jury to convict him.

Authorities said they found 47 weapons, including the gun used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at the home, and said Ferguson had ample 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,” Spitzer said in a statement about the verdict.

Ferguson was a long-time prosecutor who became a judge in 2015. He began his legal career in the district attorney’s office in 1983 and went on to work on narcotics cases, winning various awards.

Ferguson had been out on $2 million bail but was not presiding in court as the state constitution bars a judge facing a felony charge from hearing cases.

Amy Taxin, The Associated Press