Current:Home > FinanceCalifornia judge charged in wife’s murder expected to appear in Los Angeles court-VaTradeCoin
California judge charged in wife’s murder expected to appear in Los Angeles court
lotradecoin market depth insights View Date:2024-12-25 22:28:52
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California judge charged with killing his wife during an argument while he was drunk is expected to appear Tuesday in court.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, who is free on $1 million bail, is set to be arraigned on a murder charge in a Los Angeles courtroom. The hearing is scheduled there because Ferguson has been a judge hearing criminal cases in a courtroom about 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the southeast in Orange County.
The 72-year-old was arrested on Aug. 3 at his home in the upscale neighborhood of Anaheim Hills after police found his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, shot to death. Prosecutors said in court filings that the couple had been arguing and the judge was drinking when he pulled a pistol from an ankle holster and shot her in the chest. The couple’s adult son and Ferguson called 911, and Ferguson texted his court clerk and bailiff to say he had shot his wife, according to the filings.
He texted: “I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry,” according to the filing.
Prosecutors said they are seeking new bail conditions for Ferguson to protect public safety and ensure he doesn’t flee after authorities found 47 weapons, including the pistol used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at his home. They say the weapons are legally owned but a rifle registered in his name is still missing.
They want him to surrender his passport, wear an ankle monitor and possess no alcohol or firearms.
Ferguson’s attorneys have said it was an accident and a tragedy for the family.
The arrest shocked the Southern California legal community and officials have been grappling with how the case should be handled. The district attorney’s office in Orange County — a cluster of cities that are collectively home to more than 3 million people — asked state officials to weigh in on whether there was a conflict before charging him last week.
Ferguson has been a judge since 2015. He started his legal career in the Orange County district attorney’s office in 1983 and went on to work narcotics cases, for which he won various awards. He served as president of the North Orange County Bar Association from 2012 to 2014.
In 2017, Ferguson was admonished by the Commission on Judicial Performance for posting a statement on Facebook about a judicial candidate “with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth of the statement,” and for being Facebook friends with attorneys appearing before him in court, according to a copy of the agency’s findings.
Ferguson said on his Facebook page that he grew up in a military family and traveled throughout Asia as a child. He went on to attend college and law school in California. He and his wife were married in 1996.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Stock market today: Asian shares advance, tracking rally on Wall Street
- New U.S., Canada, Mexico Climate Alliance May Gain in Unity What It Lacks in Ambition
- Video: A Climate Change ‘Hackathon’ Takes Aim at New York’s Buildings
- For the intersex community, 'Every Body' exists on a spectrum
- Billboard Music Awards 2024: Complete winners list, including Taylor Swift's historic night
- Proof Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Latest Date Night Was Hella Good
- What to Make of Some Young Evangelicals Abandoning Trump Over Climate Change?
- Teen who walked six miles to 8th grade graduation gets college scholarship on the spot
- Turning dusty attic treasures into cash can yield millions for some and disappointment for others
- American Climate Video: She Thought She Could Ride Out the Storm, Her Daughter Said. It Was a Fatal Mistake
Ranking
- She grew up in an Arizona church community. Now, she claims it was actually a religious cult.
- Billie Eilish Fires Back at Critics Calling Her a Sellout for Her Evolving Style
- Coronavirus Already Hindering Climate Science, But the Worst Disruptions Are Likely Yet to Come
- CBS News' David Pogue defends OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush after Titan tragedy: Nobody thought anything at the time
- A Malibu wildfire prompts evacuation orders and warnings for 20,000, including Dick Van Dyke, Cher
- Emissions of Nitrous Oxide, a Climate Super-Pollutant, Are Rising Fast on a Worst-Case Trajectory
- The Best Memorial Day Sales 2023: Sephora, Nordstrom Rack, Wayfair, Kate Spade, Coach, J.Crew, and More
- 3 San Antonio police officers charged with murder after fatal shooting
Recommendation
-
Jim Leach, former US representative from Iowa, dies at 82
-
New federal rules will limit miners' exposure to deadly disease-causing dust
-
There’s No Power Grid Emergency Requiring a Coal Bailout, Regulators Say
-
Many LGBTQ+ women face discrimination and violence, but find support in friendships
-
See Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's Twins Monroe and Moroccan Gift Her Flowers Onstage
-
Proof Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Latest Date Night Was Hella Good
-
In a Race Against Global Warming, Robins Are Migrating Earlier
-
A Judge’s Ruling Ousted Federal Lands Chief. Now Some Want His Decisions Tossed, Too