{"id":2001931,"date":"2023-08-15T22:55:59","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T02:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-judge-pleads-not-guilty-to-gunning-down-wife-in-anaheim\/"},"modified":"2023-08-15T22:59:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T02:59:18","slug":"california-judge-pleads-not-guilty-to-gunning-down-wife-in-anaheim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-judge-pleads-not-guilty-to-gunning-down-wife-in-anaheim\/","title":{"rendered":"California judge denies shooting wife in Anaheim."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-judge-pleads-not-guilty-to-gunning-down-wife-in-anaheim%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2001931&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Orange County Superior Court Judge Pleads Not \u2063Guilty to Murder\u2063 Charge<\/h2>\n<p>Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson\u2062 pleaded not guilty in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 15 to a murder charge alleging he fatally shot his wife during an argument in their Anaheim Hills home.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ferguson, 72, \u2062who\u2063 was initially jailed on $1\u2063 million\u200c bail, remains free on bond.<\/p>\n<p>In court Tuesday, Los Angeles\u2062 Superior \u2062Court\u200c Judge Ricardo R. Ocampo\u200d approved release conditions \u200bincluding a ban on alcohol consumption and a \u2063requirement that Mr. \u2062Ferguson surrender his passport. Mr. Ferguson was also\u200d ordered to \u200cstay away from any establishments\u2062 where alcohol is the primary business, such as bars or liquor stores.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/placentia-yorba-linda-unified-quits-california-school-board-association-over-costs-conflicts-on-values-5465564\">Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified Quits California School Board Association Over Costs, Conflicts \u2063on Values<\/a> (8\/14\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/man-found-shot-to-death-outside-santa-ana-liquor-store-5462713\">Man Found\u200b Shot to Death Outside Santa Ana Liquor Store<\/a> (8\/13\/2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The judge barred Mr. Ferguson from possessing \u200bany deadly or dangerous weapons and ordered him to wear a GPS device\u2064 and an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/coroner-rules-woman-burned-to-death-in-ex-raider-henry-ruggs-iii-car-crash\/\" title=\"Coroner Rules Woman Burned to Death in Ex-Raider Henry Ruggs III Car Crash\">alcohol monitoring device<\/a>, but rejected a request \u200cby prosecutors that Mr. Ferguson have no contact with one of his sons, who\u200c was at\u200b the Anaheim Hills home at the time of the shooting.<\/p>\n<p>A date \u2064is scheduled to be set on Oct. 30 for a hearing to determine if there\u200b is enough evidence for Mr. Ferguson to stand trial. The proceedings \u2062were moved to \u200cLos Angeles County \u200cbecause of Mr. Ferguson&#8217;s ties with the\u2062 Orange County Superior\u200c Court.<\/p>\n<p>Mr.\u2062 Ferguson was charged last week with \u200dmurder \u200cwith sentencing enhancements\u2064 for the personal discharge of a firearm causing death and the personal use of a firearm. He is accused of killing \u2062his wife, Sheryl, on Aug. 3 at \u200dtheir Anaheim Hills home.<\/p>\n<p>Outside the\u200c downtown\u2062 Los Angeles courthouse after the hearing, one of Mr. Ferguson&#8217;s attorneys, Paul Meyer, told reporters, \u200c&#8221;<strong>We want to be clear this was an unintentional, accidental shooting \u200dand\u2064 not \u2063a crime.\u200d We&#8217;ll be reviewing \u2064all of \u2062the evidence obviously, \u200cbut we want our position to be\u200b very clear.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Another of\u2062 Mr. Ferguson&#8217;s lawyers,\u2064 John Barnett, said his client had &#8220;protected and served \u200bthe citizens of Orange County for 40 years&#8221; and \u200bsaid Mr. Ferguson is &#8220;confident&#8221; that jurors \u2064will agree with us that this was \u200b&#8221;an unintentional discharge of a\u200c firearm.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There was no intent to kill.\u200d There was no malice \u2062and \u2063they&#8217;ll find him not guilty,&#8221; Mr. Barnett said.<\/p>\n<p>One of Sheryl Ferguson&#8217;s brothers, Larry \u200cRosen, told reporters outside court that his \u2063sister\u2014whom\u200b he said has been his &#8220;rock&#8221;\u2014was &#8220;a wonderful person,\u200c very caring, \u2063very selfless and the family \u2064is absolutely in shock.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230; She&#8217;s going to be missed [badly]. She&#8217;s very well-loved by many, many\u2062 people,&#8221; the\u2064 woman&#8217;s\u2062 brother said. &#8220;I would describe \u200cwhat&#8217;s happening as a \u200dtragedy, an absolute tragedy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He noted that he and his brother-in-law had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-saves-dog-from-mountain-lion-attack-in-colo\/\" title=\"Man saves dog from mountain lion attack in Colo.\">made eye contact<\/a> while in the courtroom, saying, \u2064&#8221;I busted down in tears.\u200c This is really hard, this is really hard.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Anaheim \u200dPolice Department officers arrested Mr. Ferguson after they were \u200dcalled to his home \u200bin \u2062the 8500 block of East \u2064Canyon Vista Drive just after\u200b 8 p.m. on Aug. 3 for reports of a shooting. \u200bInside\u2064 the home, \u200cofficers found 65-year-old Sheryl Ferguson, the judge&#8217;s \u2063wife, suffering from at least one gunshot\u2064 wound, said Anaheim Police Sgt.\u200d Jonathan \u2062McClintock.<\/p>\n<p>Sheryl Ferguson \u200bwas pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n<p>Jeffrey Ferguson was \u2063booked into the Anaheim Jail and later \u2062transferred to Orange County Jail on suspicion of\u200b murder\u200d and was being held on $1 million \u2064bail, Mr. McClintock said. He posted bond\u200c and was released \u2063at 2:05 p.m. on Aug. 4, according \u200cto jail \u2063records.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d District Attorney&#8217;s Office said in a statement last week\u2062 that prosecutors\u200d were concerned about\u200c a .22-caliber rifle registered to Mr. Ferguson that remained unaccounted for after officers removed 47 \u2063other weapons\u200b and about 26,000 rounds of ammunition from his home. Another rifle police missed was later turned in by defense attorneys,\u2062 prosecutors said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Investigators \u200bremove firearms from the house\u2063 of Orange\u200c County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson in\u200d the 8500 block of E. Canyon \u200dVista \u2064Dr. in Anaheim, Calif., \u2063on Aug. 4, 2023. (Paul Bersebach\/The\u2062 Orange County Register via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a bail motion, Deputy \u200dDistrict Attorney Christopher \u2064Alex said Mr. Ferguson shot his wife &#8220;through the chest in the living room of their home in Anaheim.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The prosecutor alleged the judge used a &#8220;loaded .40 pistol that he pulled from his \u2064ankle\u2064 holster. He shot her \u2063at close range. He did so while intoxicated.\u200c His \u200dadult son witnessed the homicide.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The dispute \u200cbegan earlier in the evening while the \u200dcouple \u200dargued during a \u2062dinner at a restaurant near\u200d their home, \u2063Mr. Alex said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ferguson &#8220;pointed his finger at his\u200c wife in a manner mimicking\u2062 a firearm,&#8221; \u200dMr. Alex said, adding that the conflict continued at home \u200b&#8221;periodically&#8221; for about\u200b an hour.<\/p>\n<p>Referring to the hand gesture at dinner, Sheryl \u200dFerguson allegedly said moments before her husband opened\u200c fire &#8220;words to the\u2062 effect of: &#8216;Why don&#8217;t you point a\u200d real gun \u2064at\u2063 me?&#8221;&#8216;\u2064 Mr. Alex alleged.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ferguson &#8220;retrieved\u200b his pistol from his ankle holster \u200band shot [his wife] center mass,&#8221;\u200d Mr. Alex alleged.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ferguson&#8217;s son called 911 and the judge did so as well. When a dispatcher asked the judge if he shot his wife, \u2064he said he did not want \u2063to discuss that at the\u200d time and when asked again, he said she\u200c needed paramedics, Mr. \u200bAlex said.<\/p>\n<p>Minutes later, Mr. Alex alleged, Mr. Ferguson sent a text message to his court clerk and\u2064 bailiff, saying, &#8220;I just lost it. \u2062I just shot my wife. I won&#8217;t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. \u200bI&#8217;m so sorry.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The clerk and bailiff assumed he was joking, Mr. Alex\u2062 said.<\/p>\n<p>When \u200dofficers arrived, \u2062Mr. Ferguson &#8220;slurred words and smelled of alcohol,&#8221; and their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-judge-pleads-not-guilty-to-gunning-down-wife-in-anaheim\/\" title=\"California judge denies shooting wife in Anaheim.\">body-worn cameras \u200bcaught<\/a> him saying, &#8220;&#8230; \u200bwell, I guess I&#8217;m done for a while &#8230; oh my God &#8230; my son &#8230; my son &#8230; I&#8217;m sorry &#8230; I [expletive] up &#8230; Oh \u200dman, I can&#8217;t believe\u2062 I did this,&#8221; Mr. Alex \u200balleged.<\/p>\n<p>Seven hours after the shooting investigators got a blood sample from Mr. Ferguson, which showed he had a blood-alcohol\u200b level of 0.06.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Orange\u200c County Super<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge Jeffrey Ferguson of Orange County Superior Court pleaded not guilty to a murder charge on Aug. 15. He is accused of fatally shooting his wife during an argument at their Anaheim Hills home. Despite being initially jailed on $1 million bail, the 72-year-old judge is currently free on bond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":2001932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2001931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2001931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2001931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2001931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2001932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2001931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2001931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2001931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}