Jury deliberations underway in retrial of judge accused of murdering his wife
Jeffrey Ferguson is up for a retrial after his first trial ended in a mistrial when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.
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SANTA ANA, California (KABC) — It’s up to a new jury to decide whether an Orange County Superior Court judge intentionally killed his wife.
The first trial against Jeffrey Ferguson ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Seton Hunt 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 is deliberating whether Ferguson intended to shoot and kill his wife 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.”
The jury will decide if the 74-year-old is guilty of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter or should be acquitted for the shooting death of Sheryl Ferguson inside of their Anaheim Hills home.
During closing arguments on Monday, Hunt said this case is straight forward.
“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, defense attorney Cameron 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.
He fumbled the gun and it went off, fatally shooting Sheryl.
“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 to his clerk and bailiff, “I lost it. I just shot my wife.”
Hunt argued that was a confession and asked the jury to use common sense when reviewing the evidence.
If convicted, Ferguson faces 40 years to life in prison.
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