Sentencing delayed for Southern California judge who fatally shot his wife

Sean Emery, The Orange County Register on Jun 13, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — An Orange County Superior Court judge who shot and killed his wife during an argument at the couple’s Anaheim Hills home will wait a little longer to find out how long he will have to spend behind bars, with his sentencing delayed this week until September.

Jeffrey Ferguson, now 74, was convicted of second degree murder for fatally shooting his wife, Sheryl, with a concealed carry Glock .40-caliber pistol while the two were watching television with their adult son in August 2023.

Ferguson, who faces up to 40 years to life in prison, was scheduled to be sentenced on Friday. At the defense’s request, the sentencing was delayed until Tuesday.

Prosecutors say Ferguson intentionally shot his 65-year-old wife after she mocked him while they were watching the final few episodes of the television show “Breaking Bad” in a family room of their home. Minutes after the shooting, Ferguson texted the staff of his Fullerton courtroom “I just lost it. I shot my wife.”

During his own testimony, Ferguson claimed the shooting was accidental. He described his shoulder giving out while he was trying to place the firearm on a coffee table, causing him to fumble the firearm and inadvertently fire the fatal gunshot.

Both Jeffrey and Sheryl Ferguson had deep ties to the local legal community. He spent decades as a prosecutor and a judge, while she worked for both the Santa Barbara and Orange County probation departments.

After his conviction, Ferguson was formally suspended from office without pay by the Commission on Judicial Performance, an independent state agency tasked with investigating allegations of judicial misconduct and disciplining judges. Prior to that suspension, Ferguson, as an elected judge, had continued to collect his more than $220,000 a year salary despite his arrest.

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