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    OC judge who killed his wife suspended without pay following murder conviction
    • April 26, 2025

    An Orange County Superior Court judge who shot and killed his wife during an argument at their Anaheim Hills home has been formally suspended from office without salary, days after a Santa Ana jury convicted him of second-degree murder.

    As an elected judge, Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, had continued collecting a more than $220,000 yearly salary ever since his August 2023 arrest for fatally shooting his wife, Sheryl, with a Glock .40-caliber pistol he constantly carried in an ankle holster. In light of his conviction, members of the Commission on Judicial Performance — an independent state agency tasked with investigating allegations of judicial misconduct and disciplining judges — voted to suspend Ferguson.

    Prosecutors said Ferguson intentionally shot his 65-year-old wife after she mocked him while the couple and their adult son were watching the television show “Breaking Bad” in their living room. Immediately after the shooting, Ferguson texted to his courtroom staff “I just lost it. I shot my wife,” and hours later, he was recorded saying to himself “I killed her. Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, convict my ass. I did it.”

    Ferguson claimed the shooting was accidental, telling jurors that he was trying to place the firearm on a coffee table when his shoulder gave out and he fumbled the firearm, inadvertently firing the fatal gunshot.

    A jury last month deadlocked after deliberating for nine days. A second jury, following a retrial last week, convicted Ferguson after less than a day of deliberations. Ferguson faces up to 40 years to life in prison when he returns to court for sentencing on June 13.

    Ferguson’s arrest and his wife’s death shocked the local legal community. He spent decades as a prosecutor and a judge, while she worked for both the Santa Barbara and Orange County probation departments before focusing on raising their son.

    During his trials, Ferguson admitted to repeatedly breaking the law by consuming alcohol while carrying a concealed weapon. He also admitted to regularly drinking during lunch breaks while serving as a judge before going back to court to hear criminal cases. And leading up to his trial, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J Hunter — who presided over Ferguson’s criminal case — doubled Ferguson’s bail after determining he lied to cover up consuming alcohol while awaiting trial. Hunter was also angered at what she described as Ferguson’s attempts to improperly garner sympathy from jurors both leading up to and during his retrial.

    If Ferguson’s conviction is upheld on appeal, he will be fully removed from the bench. If the conviction is overturned, the suspension would be lifted and he would receive back pay.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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