Jurors have convicted a southern California decide of second-degree homicide for fatally taking pictures his spouse whereas the couple argued and watched tv at dwelling, a prosecutor’s workplace says.
Orange county superior court docket decide Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, was on trial for the 2023 loss of life of his spouse Sheryl.
Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for Orange county district lawyer, Todd Spitzer, mentioned jurors reached their determination on the homicide cost after starting deliberations on Monday afternoon. After the decision was learn, Ferguson was handcuffed and brought into custody, media outlet KNBC reported.
Authorities mentioned Ferguson had been ingesting when he and his spouse started squabbling over household funds throughout dinner at a Mexican restaurant with their grownup son. Prosecutors mentioned the couple continued arguing after returning dwelling and Ferguson reached for a gun he carried frequently in his ankle holster and shot his spouse.
Ferguson didn’t deny taking pictures her, however had mentioned it was an accident.
The decision comes after a earlier jury deadlocked in March and Los Angeles superior court docket decide Eleanor J Hunter declared a mistrial. Hunter has overseen the case to keep away from a battle of curiosity with the superior court docket in Orange county, the place Ferguson presided over prison circumstances till the taking pictures.
The case had roiled the authorized group within the county, which is dwelling to three million individuals between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Prosecutors mentioned Ferguson had been ingesting earlier than he made a gun-like hand gesture towards his spouse of 27 years throughout an argument that they had on the restaurant on 3 August 2023. Prosecutors mentioned he later pulled out a gun when she chided him to take action after that they had gone dwelling and had been watching tv with their son Phillip, 23.
Ferguson testified that he was eradicating the gun from its holster to position it on a desk, and fumbled it, and it discharged.
The case was heard in a courtroom about 10 miles (16km) from the place Ferguson presided over circumstances as a decide.
Instantly after the taking pictures, Ferguson and his son each known as 911, and Ferguson texted his court docket clerk and bailiff saying: “I simply misplaced it. I simply shot my spouse. I received’t be in tomorrow. I will probably be in custody. I’m so sorry,” in keeping with a replica of a textual content message proven to jurors. Ferguson spoke with police exterior his dwelling and once more as soon as he was in custody, and was seen on video sobbing and saying his son and everybody would hate him.
Authorities mentioned they discovered 47 weapons, together with the gun used within the taking pictures, and greater than 26,000 rounds of ammunition on the dwelling, and mentioned Ferguson had ample expertise and coaching in firearms.
Ferguson was a longtime prosecutor who turned a decide in 2015. He started his authorized profession within the district lawyer’s workplace in 1983 and went on to work on narcotics circumstances, profitable varied awards.
Ferguson had been out on $2m bail however was not presiding in court docket because the state structure bars a decide going through a felony cost from listening to circumstances.
Supply hyperlink
