When police arrived to Judge Jeffrey Ferguson's home to discover his wife dead from a gunshot wound to the chest, the court was informed that he had dozens of firearms and 26,000 rounds of ammunition inside.
Killing his wife with a gun
Los Angeles: After murdering his wife while intoxicated with a revolver he carried in an ankle holster, a California judge allegedly texted a colleague to say, "I won't be in tomorrow." I will be detained, the court was informed on Tuesday.
When police arrived to Judge Jeffrey Ferguson's home to discover his wife dead from a gunshot wound to the chest, the court was informed that he had dozens of firearms and 26,000 rounds of ammunition inside.
Prosecutors said Ferguson
When he was detained, 72-year-old Ferguson, a judge on Orange County Superior Court, allegedly smelled heavily of alcohol and stated, "Well, I guess I'm done for a while."
Ferguson and his wife, Sheryl
Ferguson and his wife, Sheryl, reportedly started fighting over dinner at a restaurant close to their opulent Anaheim suburb house. This was revealed in court in Los Angeles.
In the argument on August 3, the judge "pointed his finger at his wife in a manner mimicking a firearm," Orange County Deputy District Attorney Christopher Alex said.
Sheryl Ferguson, 65, resumed the altercation inside her house and screamed, "Why don't you point a real gun at me?" Added Alex.
It was at this point Ferguson "retrieved his pistol from his ankle holster and shot" her in the chest at close range.
Ferguson called 911 and asked for a paramedic, saying his wife had been shot.
When a dispatcher asked if he had fired the weapon, he told them he did not want to discuss the issue at the time, Alex told the court.
A search of the house found 47 firearms.
Ferguson texted his court clerk and bailiff after hanging off the phone to say, "I just lost it. My wife was recently shot. Tomorrow, I won't be there. I'll be detained. I apologise so much, Alex said.
47 lawfully owned guns were recovered during a check of the home.
When Ferguson, a judge since 2015, showed up in court on Tuesday, he denied having killed anyone.
Outside of court, attorney Paul Meyer stated: "We want to be clear that this was an unintentional, accidental shooting and not a crime."
Ferguson was granted bail and told not to consume alcohol. On October 30, he is anticipated to make another court appearance.
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