Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, who was taken into custody on suspicion of murder for the fatal shooting of his wife at their residence in Anaheim Hills, has been released on bail as of Friday.
The arrest of Ferguson, aged 72, was made by officers from the Anaheim Police Department who responded to a shooting incident at his home on East Canyon Vista Drive at approximately 8 p.m. on Thursday. At the scene, Sheryl Ferguson, aged 65 and the judge’s wife, was found with at least one gunshot wound and was tragically pronounced dead, according to Anaheim Police Sgt. Jonathan McClintock.
Judge Ferguson was subsequently booked into Anaheim Jail but was later transferred to Orange County Jail where he was held on $1 million bail. However, he posted bond and was released at 2:05 p.m. on Friday, based on jail records.
Further details regarding the alleged crime have not been disclosed by the police.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family,” stated Orange County Superior Court Presiding Judge Maria Hernandez in a press release on Friday morning.
Hernandez continued, “Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this challenging time. While no case has been filed with our court, we will ensure full compliance with our legal and ethical obligations when appropriate. As the investigation is still ongoing, the court is currently unable to provide any additional information.”
Anaheim police informed the leaders of the Orange County Superior Court about the judge’s arrest on Thursday night, Hernandez added.
According to law enforcement sources cited by the Los Angeles Times, one of the judge’s adult sons was present at the residence. Judge Ferguson and his wife had two sons named Kevin and Phillip.
Judge Ferguson, originally from Oakland, acquired a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and social ecology from UC Irvine in 1973. He later obtained his law degree from Western State College of Law in 1982 and commenced his legal career at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office in 1983. During his tenure, he served as a senior prosecutor specializing in the Major Narcotics Enforcement Team. Judge Ferguson served as the president of the North Orange County Bar Association between 2012 and 2014. His dedication to his work earned him the title of Prosecutor of the Year four times from the Orange County Narcotics Officers Association.
He assumed the role of judge in 2015.
In 2017, he faced admonishment from the state Commission on Judicial Performance for his social media comments about a prosecutor who was campaigning for a judicial position, as well as for maintaining “friend” connections with three defense attorneys who appeared before him in court.
Prior to becoming a full-time mother, Sheryl Ferguson had worked for the Santa Barbara and Orange County probation departments, as well as the American Funds Service Company for almost two decades. Attorney Joel Garson, who had the opportunity to know Sheryl Ferguson when he served as a Boy Scout leader and her son Phillip was a member of his troop, shared his memories of her. Garson said, “She would attend all the meetings and was very involved in her son’s progress in Boy Scouts. Even after he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, she continued to participate in old troop events. She volunteered for tasks like T-shirt sales and anything asked of her. Many parents drop off their children and you never see them again, but she was actively engaged in the scout committee.”
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