California judge testifies that he accidentally shot and killed his wife
A man accused in a shooting that killed two homeless people and wounded three others has pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Southern California judge charged with the murder of his wife took the stand Monday to testify in his own defense, telling the courtroom he accidentally shot her with the gun he carried in an ankle holster.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, told a packed courtroom that he and his wife of 27 years, Sheryl, had been arguing about the lack of gratitude she felt his adult son from a prior marriage showed about financial support the couple had provided. Ferguson, who has pleaded not guilty, said he never intended to kill his wife.
“I didn’t mean to kill her,” he said. “It was an accident.”
Prosecutors said Ferguson had been drinking and the couple arguing when they went out to dinner Aug. 3, 2023, at a Mexican restaurant with their son, Phillip. Prosecutor Seton Hunt said the arguing continued at home until Sheryl Ferguson chided her husband to point a real gun at her, after which he did and pulled the trigger.
Ferguson said he had two or three drinks after getting home from work several nights a week, and when asked by his attorney, Cameron J. Talley, if he kept alcohol by his desk because he was an alcoholic, Ferguson shrugged and said, “Yes.”
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