A judge accused of killing his wife cried in court as a jury at his murder trial was shown crime scene photos of her lying dead in a pool of blood on their living room floor.
Orange County Superior Court judge Jeffrey Ferguson is accused of gunning down his wife of 27 years, Sheryl, during a drunken argument on August 3, 2023.
Their fight lasted through dinner at a local restaurant and later while watching Breaking Bad on TV at home on Canyon Vista Drive with their adult son.
At one point in the evening, Ferguson made a gun hand gesture toward his wife, and she later chided him to point a real gun at her, prosecutor Seton Hunt said.
Ferguson, pulling a loaded gun from his ankle holster, did as she dared him, authorities claimed. Then he pulled the trigger.
He was arrested after both he and his son Phillip called 911 and, in comments filmed on police bodycam, pleaded for a jury to convict him.
‘I killed her,’ Ferguson was heard saying on the recording. ‘I did it.’
Ferguson, 74, pleaded not guilty to murder charges and contends the shooting was an accident.
The first day of the trial included photos of the scene after the shooting, including one showing Sheryl lying next to the fireplace – blood streaming down her face
Orange County Superior Court judge Jeffrey Ferguson cried in court as a jury at his murder trial was showed crime scene photos of his wife lying in a pool of blood on their living room floor
Ferguson is accused of gunning down his wife of 27 years, Sheryl (pictured together), during a drunken argument on August 3, 2023
‘This was an unintentional, accidental shooting and not a crime,’ one of his lawyers, Paul Meyer, said after Ferguson’s arrest.
Wednesday’s proceedings opened Ferguson’s murder trial in a case that has roiled the legal community in Orange County.
Hunt’s opening statement included photos of the scene after the shooting, including one showing Sheryl lying next to the fireplace – blood streaming down her face.
To avoid a conflict of interest, a Los Angeles County judge is presiding over the case before jurors in the Orange County city of Santa Ana – not far from where Ferguson previously heard cases in his courtroom.
Ferguson sat in court as a defendant and wore a gray suit jacket and glasses. His lawyer, Cameron Talley, reserved his opening statement for later in the trial but previously said the shooting was accidental, not murder.
According to prosecutors, it was the couple’s son, Phillip Ferguson, who called 911 to report the shooting. He told police his father had been drinking.
Ferguson also called 911 to report the shooting but said he didn’t want to talk about whether he shot his wife and just said she needed paramedics.
Wednesday’s proceedings opened Ferguson’s murder trial in a case that has roiled the legal community in Orange County
Ferguson, 74, pleaded not guilty to murder charges and contends the shooting was an accident
Ferguson in court on August 15, 2023, soon after his arrest
Upon arrival, Ferguson smelled of alcohol and told police, ‘Oh man I can’t believe I did this,’ according to court documents.
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 prosecutors’ court filings.
Authorities said they later found 47 weapons, including the gun, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at his home.
After the shooting, Ferguson was arrested and initially released on $1 million bail.
He was taken back into custody last year after Judge Eleanor Hunter contended that he had lied about drinking alcohol while out on bond, which would violate the terms of his release.
Ferguson got out of jail again in October — this time on $2 million bail.
Ferguson is an elected judge in Orange County, but he is not currently hearing cases and his name is no longer listed on the superior court’s website.
Under the state’s constitution, a judge who faces a felony charge can continue to draw a salary but can’t hear cases.
The couple’s son Phillip (pictured with his mom Sheryl) called 911 after the shooting
The judge’s $1.4 million home on Canyon Vista Drive, where he shot his wife
Ferguson has been a judge for a decade. He began his legal career in the Orange County district attorney’s office in 1983 and went on to work narcotics cases, for which he won various awards.
He served as president of the North Orange County Bar Association from 2012 to 2014.
Ferguson was admonished by the Commission on Judicial Performance in 2017 for posting a statement on Facebook about a judicial candidate ‘with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth of the statement,’
He was also criticized for being Facebook friends with attorneys appearing before him in court.
Ferguson said on his Facebook page that he grew up in a military family and traveled throughout Asia as a child. He attended college and law school in California and married his wife in 1996.
