Background: Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Malcolm Ferguson in court. Inset: Sheryl Ferguson (KTTV).
A California judge accused of murdering his wife during an argument at their home had his bail revoked after his ankle monitor detected alcohol in his system.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Malcolm Ferguson, 73, faces charges for allegedly killing his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, 65. He was taken into custody during a court hearing on Tuesday after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter found that he violated the terms of his release on the previous bail amount of $1 million by drinking alcohol. He was ordered locked up under an increased bail amount of $2 million while he awaits trial.
As Law&Crime previously reported, prosecutors informed Hunter earlier this month that Ferguson’s ankle monitor alerted an alcohol detection twice in late August — including a reading of .14%, nearly twice the legal limit for driving, according to reporting by the Orange County Register.
Ferguson denied drinking, blaming a health condition that led to swelling of his legs. He said it had gotten bad, exacerbating the pain from the ankle monitor before Labor Day, the news outlet reported. He said he treated the swelling with cream and sanitizer, and the ankle monitor could have come up with a false positive — an excuse Hunter didn’t buy.
The series of events leading to the alleged murder of Sheryl Ferguson began at dinner on the evening of Aug. 3, 2023, when the couple reportedly started arguing at a restaurant, and Ferguson mimicked pointing a gun at her with his finger. When they got home, the argument continued, authorities said.
At one point, Sheryl Ferguson reportedly referred to her husband’s earlier hand gesture at the restaurant, uttering, “Why don’t you point a real gun at me?”
Within moments, according to a bail motion filing from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, an allegedly intoxicated Jeffrey Ferguson pulled his Glock .40-caliber pistol from his ankle holster and shot his wife in the chest in front of their son in their Anaheim Hills home.
The son and father called 911.
Jeffrey Ferguson also allegedly texted both his court clerk and bailiff admitting to the shooting — both of whom thought the judge was making a joke.
“I just lost it. I just shot my wife,” Jeffrey Ferguson allegedly said in the texts, according to court documents. “I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry.”
When officers arrived, he was allegedly still wearing the empty ankle holster, and “he asked patrol officers to shoot him,” court documents said.
“He slurred words and smelled of alcohol,” documents said.
During a search of his home, police recovered the murder weapon and found 47 guns, including rifles, shotguns, and a handgun, and over 26,000 rounds of ammunition — all firearms he legally owned. A spent .40-caliber casing was recovered from the floor in front of the couch.
Police body camera footage captured Ferguson making several obscenity-laced statements, including: “f— … f— … what the f— did I … well, I guess I’m done for a while …”
At the police station, the defendant allegedly said, “What did I do? My son will hate me forever. Can you have my son come over … and punch me in the face because I deserve it,” local Fox affiliate KTTV reported an officer testified.
He was ordered to stand trial after a judge rejected his defense that the shooting was an accident.
“He would never intend to hurt her,” said his attorney, Ed Welbourn, KTTV reported. “It was just a terribly tragic incident that occurred. The last thing he would try to do is hurt the love of his life.”
Ferguson was being held at the Los Angeles County Jail, with a court date set for Nov. 1, online booking records show.
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