Orange County Judge Arrested: Why Did Jeffrey Ferguson Kill His Wife?

Jeffrey Ferguson, a 72-year-old judge in Orange County Superior Court, was arrested on suspicion of shooting and killing his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, 65, in their home in Anaheim Hills on Thursday night. Police found Sheryl Ferguson with at least one gunshot wound and pronounced her dead at the scene. They also seized an arsenal of weapons from the $1.4 million home.

Jeffrey Ferguson has been a judge since 2015 and a former prosecutor for over three decades. He was reprimanded by the Commission on Judicial Performance in 2017 for posting a false statement on Facebook about a judicial candidate and for being Facebook friends with attorneys appearing before him in court. He is expected to appear in court on Monday. As of now, Jeffrey is being held on a $1 million bail.

Background

Jeffrey Ferguson and Sheryl Ferguson were married in 1996 and lived in a spacious home in the affluent neighborhood of Anaheim Hills. They had one son together, and Jeffrey Ferguson had another son from his previous marriage. According to his Facebook page, he grew up in a military family.

He and his family used to travel throughout Asia. He attended college and law school in California.

Ferguson started his legal career after joining Orange County District Attorney’s Office in 1983. He used to work on narcotics cases. Not many people know that he even won various awards. Jeffrey was honored as an “attorney of the year”. This was given by the North Orange County Bar Association during his time as a prosecutor. Moreover, from 2012 to 2014, he served as the organization’s president.

He was later elected as a judge in 2014 and took office in 2015. He was responsible for handling criminal cases in a courthouse in the Orange County city of Fullerton. According to my research, Jeffrey was scolded by the Commission on Judicial Performance in 2017 for posting a statement on Facebook. He wrote about a judicial candidate.

Incident

On Thursday night, around 8 p.m., Anaheim police received reports of a shooting from Ferguson’s home on East Canyon Drive. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Sheryl Ferguson with a gunshot wound. She was declared dead on the spot. Jeffrey Ferguson was arrested on the scene and taken to Anaheim Police Department’s Detention Facility.

Police also removed an arsenal of weapons from the home, including rifles, handguns, and ammunition. A son of Jeffrey and Sheryl Ferguson was at the home during the shooting. No other injuries were reported.

Investigation

Jeffrey Ferguson is being held on a $1 million bail and is expected to appear in court on Monday in Santa Ana. The motive for the shooting is still unknown.

Anaheim police are investigating the case as a homicide and are asking anyone with information to contact them at (714) 765-1900.

“This is a very tragic situation for all involved,” Lorrie A Walton, a current member of the North Orange County Bar Association’s board, said in an email.

The Orange County Superior Court declined to provide additional information about the allegations.

Some Lesser Known Facts

• Jeffrey Ferguson allegedly shot and killed his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, in their home in Anaheim Hills on Thursday night.
• Police found Sheryl Ferguson dead with at least one gunshot wound and seized an arsenal of weapons from the home.
• Jeffrey Ferguson has been a judge since 2015 and a former prosecutor for over three decades. He was reprimanded by the Commission on Judicial Performance in 2017 for posting a false statement on Facebook about a judicial candidate and for being Facebook friends with attorneys appearing before him in court.
• Jeffrey is being held on a $1 million bail. As per many media sources, he is expected to appear in court on Monday. This personality is not yet charged officially.

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