California judge who’s charged with murder texted court staff that he shot his wife, prosecutors say

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Southern California choose accused of killing his spouse texted his courtroom clerk and bailiff afterward to say he had shot her, prosecutors mentioned Friday as they charged him with homicide and sought new bail circumstances.

A courtroom submitting from prosecutors says Orange County Superior Courtroom Choose Jeffrey Ferguson texted: “I simply misplaced it. I simply shot my spouse. I gained’t be in tomorrow. I might be in custody. I’m so sorry.”

Prosecutors additionally say that 47 weapons and greater than 26,000 rounds of ammunition had been recovered throughout a search of his dwelling, together with the pistol used within the capturing. Authorities mentioned the weapons had been legally owned. A rifle registered in his identify just isn’t accounted for, in keeping with the district lawyer’s workplace.

The capturing occurred after Ferguson and his spouse, Sheryl Ferguson, had been arguing at a restaurant on Aug. 3, prosecutors mentioned of their courtroom submitting. They continued arguing after returning to their dwelling within the upscale neighborhood of Anaheim Hills. The courtroom doc says the spouse mentioned one thing to the impact of “why don’t you level an actual gun at me?” and he pulled a pistol from his ankle holster and shot her within the chest.

The doc says their grownup son referred to as 911 and mentioned his father had been consuming an excessive amount of and shot his mother.

Jeffrey Ferguson additionally referred to as 911 to vaguely report the capturing. When requested if he shot his spouse, he mentioned he did not wish to speak about it at the moment and she or he wanted paramedics.

When officers arrived, Ferguson smelled of alcohol and instructed them, “Oh man I am unable to consider I did this,” in keeping with the doc.

Ferguson, 72, was arrested final week. He was launched a day afterward $1 million bail and is ready to be arraigned on Sept. 1.

On Friday, prosecutors charged Ferguson with homicide with weapons-related enhancements. They need him to give up his passport, put on an ankle monitor and possess no alcohol or firearms.

Ferguson’s attorneys, Paul Meyer and John Barnett, issued a quick assertion and declined to reply questions. “This can be a tragedy for the complete Ferguson household. It was an accident and nothing extra,” they mentioned.

Ferguson has been a choose since 2015. He handles felony instances within the Orange County metropolis of Fullerton.

He began his authorized profession within the Orange County district lawyer’s workplace in 1983 and went on to work narcotics instances, for which he gained varied awards. He served as president of the North Orange County Bar Affiliation from 2012 to 2014.

In 2017, Ferguson was admonished by the Fee on Judicial Efficiency for posting a press release on Fb a few judicial candidate “with figuring out or reckless disregard for the reality of the assertion” and for being Fb mates with attorneys showing earlier than him in courtroom, in keeping with a duplicate of the company’s findings.

Ferguson mentioned on his Fb web page that he grew up in a navy household and traveled all through Asia as a baby. He went on to attend faculty and legislation college in California. He and his spouse had been married in 1996.