A Southern California judge accused of killing his wife is released on $2 million bail

LOS ANGELES – A judge from California accused of killing his wife has been released from jail on $2 million bail.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson was released from the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Friday, online jail records show.

Ferguson, 74, was taken back into custody last month after the judge overseeing his case found he had lied about drink alcohol while out on bail.

Ferguson pleaded not guilty last year to murder in the death of his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, which his lawyer said at the time was an accident. Authorities said the couple had been arguing in August 2023 and that Ferguson had been drinking when he pulled a gun from an ankle holster and shot her in the chest.

Ferguson and his son called 911, and Ferguson texted his clerk and bailiff saying, “I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be there tomorrow. I will be taken into custody. I’m so sorry,” the prosecutor said. Authorities said they later found 47 weapons, including the handgun, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition in Ferguson’s home.

The next court hearing in Ferguson’s case is scheduled for November 15, according to his lawyer Ed Welbourn.