US judge kills wife. A California judge accused of murdering his wife while drunk with a gun he kept in an ankle holster allegedly texted a colleague after the shooting, “I won’t be in tomorrow.” “I will be detained,” a court heard Tuesday.
According to the court, Judge Jeffrey Ferguson had dozens of guns and 26,000 rounds of ammunition at his home when officers arrived to find his wife dead from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Prosecutors claim Ferguson, 72, of Orange County Superior Court, smelled strongly of alcohol when he was arrested and told cops, “Well, I guess I’m done for a while.”
Ferguson and his wife, Sheryl, began arguing over dinner at a restaurant near their home in an affluent Anaheim suburb, according to a Los Angeles court.
During the August 3 dispute, the judge “pointed his finger at his wife in a manner mimicking a firearm,” Orange County Deputy District Attorney Christopher Alex told the court.
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Sheryl Ferguson, 65, continued the argument at home, saying “words to the effect of: ‘Why don’t you point a real gun at me?'” Alex stated.
Ferguson “retrieved his pistol from his ankle holster and shot” her in the chest at close range at this point.
Ferguson dialed 911 and requested a paramedic, claiming that his wife had been shot.
When a dispatcher asked if he had fired the weapon, Alex told the court that he did not want to discuss the matter at the time.
Ferguson texted his court clerk and bailiff after hanging up the phone, saying, “I just lost it.” I just killed my wife. I’m not coming in tomorrow. I’ll be detained. “I’m so sorry,” Alex apologized.
As US judge kills his wife, a search of the house revealed 47 legally owned firearms.
Ferguson, a judge since 2015, denied murdering anyone when he appeared in court on Tuesday.
Lawyer Paul Meyer told reporters outside court: “We want to be clear this was an unintentional, accidental shooting and not a crime.”
Ferguson was granted bail and told not to drink. He is scheduled to return to court on October 30.
