LOS ANGELES — A California judge accused of murdering his wife has been released on $2 million bail.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson was released from the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Friday, according to the online jail records show.
Mr Ferguson, 74, was remanded in custody last month after the judge presiding over his case ruled that he had lied about drinking while on bail.
Last year, Mr. Ferguson pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the shooting death of his wife, Cheryl Ferguson, but his lawyer at the time insisted the accident was accidental. Authorities say the two got into an argument in August 2023, and while they were drinking, Ferguson pulled a handgun from his ankle holster and shot her in the chest.
Ferguson and his son called 911, and Ferguson sent the following email to the court clerk and bailiff: I just shot my wife. Tomorrow won’t come. You will be detained. I am truly sorry,” prosecutors said in a court filing. Authorities later said they found 47 weapons, including pistols, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition in Ferguson’s home.
The next court date in Ferguson’s case is scheduled for Nov. 15, according to his attorney Ed Welborn.
