A judge has been convicted of murder after shooting his wife while the couple argued and watched television at home.
Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, admitted gunning Sheryl, 65, but insisted it was an accident. A court heard the couple had a row about family finances when they were having dinner at a Mexican restaurant, and this continued back at home as they watched Breaking Bad.
After the shooting, Ferguson and his son Phillip called emergency services. The defendant then text 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. This was not an accident. Ferguson was trained to never point a gun at anything he didn’t intend to destroy.”
And Ferguson was found guilty of murder on Tuesday by a jury at Los Angeles Superior Court. The dad faces a maximum prison term of 40 years to life when he is sentenced June 13.
Speaking after the verdict, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, who has worked with Ferguson in the legal industry, said: “There are no winners here. Justice was achieved, but I’m very sad for the Ferguson family.”
The court heard Ferguson made a gun-like hand gesture towards his wife of 27 years during the row at the restaurant on August 3, 2023. Back home, Sheryl chided her husband to point a real gun at her. He did, then pulled the trigger, prosecutors said.
But Ferguson had claimed he was removing the gun from his ankle holster to place it on a table, and fumbled it, and it discharged. This claim was eventually rejected by the jury at the court in Los Angeles.
Police found 47 weapons at Ferguson’s home in Anaheim, California during their investigation following the man’s arrest. The haul included the gun used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition. Police said Ferguson, who became a judge in 2015, had ample experience and training in firearms.
The defendant was a long-time prosecutor before he became a judge. 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 (£1.50 million) bail but was not presiding in court as the state constitution bars a judge facing a felony charge from hearing cases. The killer will be sentenced at the same court on June 13.
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