Accident or Murder? Mistrial Declared in Trial of Calif. Judge Accused of Killing Wife

Jurors couldn’t agree about the actions of a California judge who was on trial on accusations he murdered his wife, and a mistrial was declared on the morning of Monday, March 10.

The jurors deliberated for eight days and were split 11 to 1, with just one juror believing Jeffrey Ferguson was not guilty, according to ABC7, the Los Angeles Times and CBS News.

Ferguson, 74, is accused of killing his 65-year-old wife Sheryl Ferguson at their Anaheim Hills home on the night of Aug. 3, 2023. The two had been arguing on the day of her death and Ferguson said he’d consumed various alcoholic beverages throughout the night, per the Associated Press, CBS News and The San Bernardino Sun. He also allegedly made a hand gesture that resembled a gun pointing at her during their dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

Ferguson admitted to the shooting but claimed it was an accident, saying the gun went off by mistake as he was pulling his gun out of his ankle holster and moving it to the coffee table. He claimed a prior shoulder injury flared up and caused him to accidentally fire the gun.

“My arm failed, I got a shooting pain and my arm dropped,” Ferguson said earlier during his trial, per the San Bernardino Sun. “I reflexively grabbed it. I didn’t want to drop it on the floor. It fired. When I grabbed it my finger came off the trigger guard and must have hit the trigger.”

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Prosecutors, however, claimed Ferguson purposefully killed his wife during a fit of rage fueled by alcohol and their previous argument, per CBS News. “You have been presented with evidence — credible evidence — he took out the gun, he was angry,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Seton Hunt said to jurors at the trial last week. “He took the gun out, pointed at her and killed her.” 

Senior Deputy District Attorney Seton Hunt claimed Ferguson had “confessed” in a text message he sent to his clerk and bailiff shortly after the shooting took place. In the message, Ferguson reportedly wrote, “I just lost it. Just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry,” per KCRA.

Ferguson claimed he saw his wife with a “surprised look” on her face before she stood from her chair and fell to the floor. He said their son Phillip then tackled him and demanded that he let go of the gun, which he eventually did. He told the court he then told his son to “call 911,” per CBS News.

Ferguson was arrested on the night of Sheryl’s death and was later charged with one felony count of murder, one count of felony enhancement of personal use of a firearm, and one count of felony enhancement of discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death.

Ferguson became a judge in 2015 and was a prosecutor for years before that. He served as president of the North Orange County Bar Association from 2012 to 2014, per KCRA.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.