SANTA ANA, Calif.
An Orange County Superior Court judge who allegedly shot his wife had 26,000 rounds of ammunition and 47 weapons at his home including rifles, shotguns, and handguns, officials stated.
Judge Jeffrey Ferguson allegedly killed his 65-year-old wife in their Anaheim Hills home this month, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Ferguson, 72, has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement of personal use of a firearm, and one felony enhancement of discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death.
He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years to life if convicted on all counts.
Ferguson was arrested on Thursday, August 3, 2023 by the Anaheim Police Department after his adult son called 911 shortly after 8 p.m. to report his mother had been shot, according to officials.
Ferguson was released from custody by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department the next day after posting the court’s adopted bail schedule of $1 million. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
Ferguson has served as an Orange County Superior Court Judge since 2015.
Before being elected to the Orange County Superior Court, he served as a prosecutor in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office beginning in 1983.
Upon filing criminal charges against Ferguson, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has filed a bail motion asking to advance Ferguson’s arraignment to Tuesday to request a series of additional conditions to his bail to protect public safety and ensure Ferguson’s appearance at trial.
Among the District Attorney’s Office concerns is the fact that a .22 rifle legally registered to Ferguson remains unaccounted for despite police recovering 47 other weapons – including rifles, shotguns, and handguns, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition – from his home during the execution of a search warrant.
Another rifle, initially missed by police, was subsequently located in the home and turned over to police by defense counsel, but the whereabouts of the .22 rifle remain unknown.
Due to the great concern for public safety, the additional non-monetary bail conditions being requested by the District Attorney are the following conditions:
1. Surrender passport to the court
2. Consent to revocation of Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW) permit
3. Possess no firearm of any kind, and no ammunition of any kind
4. Submit to search and seizure
5. Remain in Orange County, Riverside County, or Los Angeles County
6. Wear at all times, and make no effort to tamper with, an ankle bracelet with GPS coordinates, progress to be monitored by the Probation Department
7. Do not enter the property line of any airport
8. Have no contact with his son who was present during the homicide, except through counsel of recor
9. Consume no alcohol
10. Possess no alcohol
11. Do not enter the premises of any liquor store, tavern, or establishment where alcohol is the primary sale item.