08.06.2023 | 8:06 PM | ANAHEIM – A superior court judge that presides over criminal cases was charged with shooting his wife to death inside their Anaheim Hills home, Thursday night.
Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, of Anaheim, was charged with the murder of his wife, 65-year-old Sheryl Ferguson, inside their family home.
Authorities responded to reports of a shooting at the home located in the 8500 block of East Canyon Vista Drive shortly after 8:00 PM.
Officers responding found Sheryl Ferguson inside the home suffering from at least one gunshot wound. She was later pronounced deceased at the scene by medics.
Judge Ferguson was taken into police custody and subsequently arrested on charges of murder, though he later posted $1 million bail and was released less than 24 hours after the homicide.
One of Ferguson’s two adult sons was inside the home when the fatal shot was fired, witnesses said.
Ferguson, who was most recently assigned to Department N03 in the North Justice Center, handles a docket of criminal cases – many of which are expected to be impacted in some way as a result of his arrest.
Just two years after his 2015 appointment to the bench, Ferguson was admonished by the Commission of Judicial Performance for comments he made on Facebook along with maintaining friendships with defense attorneys who had cases before him.
Prior to serving as a judge, Ferguson worked for over 30 years as a prosecutor for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office where he was assigned to the Major Narcotics Enforcement Team.
A neighbor said Ferguson recently remarked at a local neighborhood watch meeting that he carried one gun on his hip and another on his ankle.
The neighbor also said that Ferguson appeared to love his wife but had ongoing issues with one of his sons.
Police did not release further information regarding the circumstances of the fatal shooting.
