Jury finds Orange County judge guilty of murdering his wife in 2nd trial

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — A jury found a former Orange County Superior Court judge guilty of intentionally killing his wife in 2023.

The first trial against 74-year-old Jeffrey Ferguson ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. His second trial ended Tuesday when the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Seton Hunt previously said this is not a complicated case.

“This is not a sophisticated act,” he said.

Six weeks after the first murder trial, a new jury deliberated whether Ferguson intended to shoot and kill his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, inside of their Anaheim Hills home in August 2023.

“This is a domestic dispute. He was angry. He was upset. He was intoxicated,” Hunt said. “Ladies and gentlemen, don’t be distracted.”

During closing arguments on Monday, Hunt said this case is straightforward.

“He pulls out his firearm, and he shoots it and kills her. That is not complicated,” Hunt said. “It wouldn’t make a particularly interesting movie, but it’s very sad and all too familiar. Domestic dispute resulting in death. That’s what this case is.”

However, defense attorney Cameron Talley asked jurors to use “common sense.” He said this case is not that simple. Talley argued the shooting was an accident.

He claimed Ferguson removed a gun from an ankle holster and was trying to place it on a coffee table in their living room when his disabled shoulder gave out.

He fumbled the gun, and it went off, fatally shooting Sheryl, according to Talley.

“He killed her. It doesn’t mean it was on purpose, it doesn’t mean it was murder, it doesn’t mean it was a crime,” Talley said.

The prosecution said Ferguson is an experienced gun owner and meant to kill his wife.

After the shooting, he texted his clerk and bailiff, saying, “I lost it. I just shot my wife.”

Hunt argued that was a confession, and asked the jury to use common sense when reviewing the evidence.

Ferguson faces 40 years to life in prison.