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Ju umpire announced Monday afternoon that he was stuck at the trial of an Orange County judge who has been accused of fatally shooting his wife at a family home in 2023.
74-year-old Senior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson has not denied his wife’s shooting, but he claims the gun was accidentally missed.
Prosecutors say Ferguson drank a lot with his wife, Cheryl, and was arguing when he pulled a pistol out of the ankle holster and shot him in the chest on August 3rd.
The ju umpire’s impasse exceeds the second-degree murder charges Ferguson faces, and if convicted, he could face a sentence of 15 years.
Additionally, Ferguson faces gun enhancements and can bring his sentence to life for up to 40 years if convicted.
On Monday, KTLA’s Chip Yost reported that LA County Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter had directed the ju judge that he could consider fewer involuntary manslaughter charges, but that can only be done if he first reaches an acquittal on second-degree murder charges.
If the ry umpire is still at a dead end and is declared a judge on a second-degree murder charge, they cannot skip and vote for an involuntary manslaughter charge.
Yost also reported that Judge Hunter reported to his lawyer that if he thought it would help him break the deadlock, each may be able to provide the ju judge with an additional 10 minutes of closing discussion.
This is a very rare movement, but it happens occasionally.
Ferguson’s defense attorney, Cameron Tully, has been a prosecutor for 22 years and has been a defense attorney for the past 10 years. He told KTLA it was the first time in his career that a judge had directed his lawyers to discuss additional closing discussions after the ju judges had already begun deliberations.
However, after speaking with the ju judge on Monday, Judge Hunter decided that they might be able to come to the decision after another night.
Ju judges were ordered to return to court at 9:30am Tuesday.
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