Mistrial Declared in Judge's Murder Case

The case of a Southern California judge charged with murder in the fatal shooting his wife ended in a mistrial Monday after a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter declared the mistrial in the case against 74-year-old Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson. A prosecutor said 11 of the 12 jurors had wanted to declare Ferguson guilty of second-degree murder, adding he is prepared to retry the case, the AP reports.

• Prosecutors had said at trial that Ferguson shot his wife Sheryl with a handgun while the couple was watching television at their home in Anaheim Hills after they had been arguing in 2023. Testifying at trial, Ferguson did not deny shooting his wife, but said it was an accident. He said he was removing the gun from an ankle holster where he always carried it but fumbled it when he tried to place it on a table.
• Jury deliberations began on Feb. 26, NBC Los Angeles reports. The jury left early on Friday after telling Hunter they were "exhausted."

• Hunter, who presided over Ferguson's case to avoid a conflict of interest, scheduled a hearing Thursday in her Los Angeles courtroom on how to proceed. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said after the mistrial that his office would review the case and speak with Sheryl Ferguson's family members before taking its next steps.
• "Eleven to one is a success in the world in which we operate," Spitzer told reporters. "She died in cold blood, and we're going to get justice to the best of our ability."
• The judge's attorney, Cameron Talley, said he hopes there might be an agreement with prosecutors due to Ferguson's age and the support he's received from his wife's brother and the couple's son. "I do think the evidence shows there was never any intent to intentionally kill anybody," Talley told reporters, adding that Ferguson's life has been destroyed and he remains saddened by the loss of his wife.

• Senior Deputy District Attorney Seton Hunt told jurors that Ferguson's account of the shooting was "ridiculous." Hunt played video of the couple's son telling police, "I turned around and he pulls out a gun and aims at her and fires."
• Authorities said they found 47 weapons, including the gun used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at Ferguson's home. They said the longtime former prosecutor had ample experience and training in firearms use and in handling criminal cases involving gun violence.
• Ferguson became a judge in 2015. He's not currently presiding over a courtroom as the state's constitution bars a judge who faces a felony charge from hearing cases. He remains free on $2 million bail. Last year, he was taken into custody and his bail was doubled after Hunter determined that he had lied about drinking alcohol.

(More murder trial stories.)