Opening statements were held Wednesday in the trial of an Orange County judge who is accused of fatally shooting his wife at the family’s home in 2023.
Prosecutors say Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, had been drinking heavily and arguing with his wife, Sheryl when he pulled a pistol from his ankle holster and shot her in the chest on Aug. 3.
The couple’s adult son reported the shooting and called the police. Ferguson was taken into custody and, in a videotaped recording, admitted to police that he had shot his wife and pleaded for a jury to convict him.
“I killed her,” Ferguson is heard saying on the recording. “I did it.”
His lawyer claims the shooting was an accident.
Ferguson, who was elected to the bench in 2014, texted his court clerk and bailiff, saying: “I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry,” according to prosecutors.
Authorities said they later found 47 weapons, including the gun, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at his home.
After the shooting, Ferguson was arrested and initially released on $1 million bail. He was taken back into custody last year after Judge Eleanor J. Hunter contended that he had lied about drinking alcohol while out on bond, which would violate the terms of his release. Ferguson got out of jail again in October — this time on $2 million bail.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
