SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Southern California judge convicted of second-degree murder for fatally shooting his wife after a domestic argument is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, with prosecutors seeking a prison term that could reach 40 years to life.
Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, has been jailed since an Orange County jury in April found him guilty of second-degree murder and multiple felony gun enhancements in the death of his wife, Sheryl Ferguson. Prosecutors said the longtime judge and former criminal prosecutor pulled a gun from an ankle holster and fired after drinking and arguing with his wife about family finances on Aug. 3, 2023.
Prosecutors have said the dispute began at a Mexican restaurant and continued later at the couple's Anaheim Hills home while they watched television with their adult son. The argument escalated, they said, after Sheryl challenged her husband to point a real gun at her; prosecutors said he did and then pulled the trigger. Ferguson admitted to shooting his wife but has maintained the killing was accidental. During his testimony, he said he was removing the gun from his ankle holster to place it on a cluttered table, fumbled because of an injured shoulder and the weapon discharged.
Immediately after the shooting, Ferguson and his son called 911, and prosecutors introduced a text message Ferguson sent to a court clerk and bailiff that read, "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 court evidence. Trial video shown to jurors captured Ferguson sobbing and telling officers and court personnel he feared his son and others would hate him.
The trial was overseen by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter to avoid a local conflict of interest, and the case drew intense attention within the Orange County legal community, where many had known or worked with Ferguson for decades. An initial jury in March deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial; a second jury returned convictions in April. Ferguson had presided over criminal cases in Fullerton and began his legal career in the Orange County district attorney's office in 1983.
Defense attorney Frances Prizzia has filed paperwork seeking a new trial, arguing there was insufficient time to prepare for the second trial and that a key witness was unavailable to testify again, placing Ferguson at a disadvantage. In court filings, Prizzia wrote, "The Court's denial of the continuance was an unreasonable and arbitrary insistence upon expeditiousness in the face of a justifiable request for a delay."
Authorities said they found 47 weapons, including the firearm used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at the Fergusons' home after the arrest. Ferguson, who had served as a prosecutor on narcotics cases and earned awards during his career, became a judge in 2015. He was removed from the bench after his arrest.
Sentencing will take place in Orange County Superior Court. The case has reverberated through a county of roughly 3 million residents between Los Angeles and San Diego and prompted scrutiny of a judge who had long handled criminal matters in the community.