California Judge Sentenced to 35 Years

UPDATE Sep 17, 2025 6:00 PM CDT

A 74-year-old judge in Southern California found guilty in April of killing his wife has been sentenced to 35 years to life in state prison, only slightly below the 40 years-to-life maximum. Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson received 15 years to life in prison for second-degree murder, with 20 years added for a gun enhancement, NBC Los Angeles reports. Prosecutors said a drunken Ferguson shot his wife, 65-year-old Sheryl Ferguson, after an argument about their finances that started in a restaurant and continued when they got home. He claimed he accidentally shot her when he fumbled his gun after removing it from an ankle holster. "Sheryl didn't just die just once on Aug. 3, 2023," he told the court Wednesday. "She died again every morning I wake up."

Apr 23, 2025 1:00 AM CDT

A southern California judge was found guilty Tuesday in the murder of his wife. Jeffrey Ferguson, whose first trial ended in a mistrial when jurors couldn't reach a unanimous verdict, was convicted of second-degree murder in the fatal 2023 shooting of his wife, Sheryl, who was 65. Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, turned to hug his son after the verdict was read before he was handcuffed and led away, NBC Los Angeles reports. ABC 7 describes it as a "very emotional moment," with Ferguson whispering to his son, "It's OK. Be strong." Ferguson, his wife, and their son, then 22, had gone out to dinner on the night of the shooting, and prosecutors say the couple got into an argument at the restaurant and Sheryl Ferguson left after her husband made a hand gesture imitating a gun.

Back home later, the couple's son told authorities that his mother asked his father something along the lines of, "Why don't you point a real gun at me?" Prosecutors say Jeffrey Ferguson, estimated to have had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit for driving at the time, then picked up his gun and shot his wife, killing her. Defense attorneys insisted the shooting was an accident, claiming the gun accidentally discharged as Ferguson removed it from an ankle holster and tried to set it on a coffee table. It came out during the trial that Ferguson, who had served as a Superior Court judge in Orange County since 2015, may have been intoxicated while presiding over hearings; the county DA said his cases will be reviewed.