According to authorities, 47 guns were recovered from the home after a Southern California judge was charged with murder in the shooting death of his wife on Friday.
Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, of Orange County’s Superior Court was detained last week after his adult son contacted 911 to report that his mother, Sheryl Ferguson, had been shot at the family’s house in the posh area of Anaheim Hills, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office. A day later, after posting $1 million bond, he was freed.
Authorities searched his residence and found more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition and 47 guns, which is why the prosecution is requesting extra bail terms. According to the statement, a firearm that was registered in his name has not been located.
In addition to giving up his passport, they want Ferguson to wear an ankle monitor.
Paul Meyer and John Barnett, Ferguson’s attorneys, released a succinct statement and chose not to comment further. “The Ferguson family as a whole is experiencing sorrow. They claimed that it was merely an accident.
Since 2015, Ferguson has served as a judge. In the city of Fullerton in Orange County, he handles criminal cases.
He began practicing law in 1983 at the district attorney’s office for Orange County, where he later worked on drug cases for which he received numerous honors. From 2012 to 2014, he presided over the North Orange County Bar Association.
According to a copy of the Commission on Judicial Performance’s findings, Ferguson received a warning in 2017 for posting a comment about a judicial candidate on Facebook “with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth of the statement” and for having Facebook friendships with lawyers who represented him in court.