California Judge Sentenced to 35 Years to Life for Wife’s Murder

Sept. 17, 2025, 10:32 PM UTC

The California state judge convicted of murdering his wife received a prison sentence Wednesday of 35 years to life.

Ferguson, who is in his 70s, must serve 20 years in prison before he is eligible for parole, said Kimberly Edds, public information officer with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

An Orange County jury found California Superior Court Judge Jeffrey M. Ferguson guilty in April of the second-degree murder of his wife, Sheryl Ferguson. He fatally shot her in 2023 during a drunken argument in their Anaheim Hills home. His lawyers argued it was an accident.

The jury in Ferguson’s ...

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