Overview

• Jeffrey Ferguson, a veteran Orange County Superior Court judge, was convicted of second-degree murder for killing his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, in their Anaheim Hills home on August 3, 2023.
• Jurors deliberated for about eight hours in a retrial after the first trial ended in a mistrial with an 11-1 jury split in favor of conviction.
• Prosecutors argued Ferguson intentionally shot his wife with a Glock .40-caliber handgun while intoxicated, citing his estimated blood-alcohol level of .17% at the time of the shooting.
• Ferguson claimed the shooting was accidental, stating the gun discharged as he attempted to place it on a coffee table, though prosecutors highlighted evidence challenging this account.
• Ferguson, who had served as a judge since 2015, was taken into custody after the verdict and will be sentenced on June 13, potentially facing 40 years to life in prison.