California Judge Found Guilty of Wife’s Murder After Retrial (1)

The California judge who shot his wife after a drunken argument was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder.

California Superior Court Judge Jeffrey M. Ferguson’s attorney failed to convince an Orange County jury that Ferguson, who presided over criminal cases and had a gun license for nearly four decades, accidentally shot Sheryl Ferguson.

The jury, which deliberated for about a day, also convicted Ferguson of two firearm-related felony enhancements, meaning he could face a maximum sentence of 40 years to life in prison.

“We still believe in Jeff Ferguson, we believe that he is not guilty, and there will be an appeal,” Talley said in a press conference.

Ferguson and his young adult son, Phillip, who witnessed the shooting and tried to save his mother’s life, hugged tightly before bailiffs cuffed Ferguson’s wrists.

Ferguson during the embrace told his son, “Be strong,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer during a press conference.

“It was so ironic to me,” Spitzer said. “It was so Shakespearean. It was so beyond sad.”

The verdict follows Ferguson’s second trial, after an initial jury was hung 11 to 1 in support of a second-degree murder conviction in March and Judge Eleanor Hunter, of Los Angeles County, declared a mistrial.

Before the verdict was announced Tuesday, Hunter was considering sending Ferguson into custody because she learned Ferguson sat with his son outside the courtroom near jurors that morning.

She called it an attempt to influence jurors, in violation of her orders. The issue was mooted because Ferguson was taken into custody after being convicted.

Ferguson’s attorney, Cameron Talley, argued physical evidence showed the judge’s weak shoulder spasmed and he fumbled his concealed carry firearm as he tried to place it on a living room table, firing it by mistake.

Ferguson shot his wife in their Anaheim Hills home in August 2023. He was drinking as early as lunch that day, and admitted during his first trial that he would drink at lunch with other judges before returning to handle cases.

That evening, he texted his clerk and bailiff, “I just lost it. I just shot my wife.”

Under California law, judges convicted of felonies are to be suspended without pay; if the conviction becomes final, the Commission on Judicial Performance will remove the judge from office.

Ferguson’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 13.

The case is People v. Ferguson, Cal. Super. Ct., No. 23NF1975, 4/22/25.