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

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A former Orange County Superior Court judge has been convicted of second-degree murder for shooting his 65-year-old wife to death during an argument in their Anaheim Hill home 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.

Ferguson sat stoically as his verdict was read. He had served as an Orange County Superior Court Judge since 2015. Before that, he served as a prosecutor in the Orange County District Attorney's Office beginning in 1983.

After the verdict was read, Ferguson's attorneys asked the bailiffs if Ferguson could hug his son, Phillip, before being taken into custody. The bailiffs said yes, and the two embraced each other in what was a very emotional moment in the courtroom. Ferguson whispered into his son's ear, "It's OK. Be strong."

The jury deliberated for about seven hours over two days, reaching a unanimous verdict fairly quickly compared to the first trial, where the jury deliberated for more than 40 hours over nine days, ending in an 11 to one hung jury.

Before the jury reached a verdict, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter, who presided over the case due to Ferguson's conflict of interest in Orange County, was deciding whether to hold Ferguson in contempt of court and revoked his bond.

She believed that he was trying to influence the jury by doing press interviews and sitting outside the courtroom with his son as the jury walked in to deliberate.

"The one person in this entire situation that could have ensured that everybody was strong, remained strong, and could be strong, was Jeff Ferguson," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "Jeff Ferguson took the life of Sheryl. He took her strength, he took her body, he took her will to live and crushed it."

"I was in the D.A.'s office. I started in 1994, and I left in 2015, and I knew Judge Ferguson. I knew Jeff in the D.A.'s office," said defense attorney Cameron Talley. "I don't think we ever went to lunch together. I don't think we ever had dinner together. We weren't socializing all the time, but we knew each other, we liked each other, and this is so sad to see this now."

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."

After the shooting, the couple's then-22-year-old son tackled his father to wrestle the gun away and performed CPR on his mother.

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, 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.

Ferguson fumbled the gun, and it went off, fatally shooting Sheryl, according to Talley. They also claimed he was an alcoholic.

"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. I won't be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I'm so sorry."

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

The defense says they plan to appeal the verdict. The D.A.'s office sent a direct message to Ferguson's son, saying he did nothing wrong and was just a witness to a terrible, domestic violence murder. They said they are sending him the best wishes possible.

Ferguson is set to be sentenced on June 13. He faces 40 years to life in prison.