A Southern California judge accused of killing his wife is released on $2 million bail

LOS ANGELES – A California judge charged with murdering his wife has been released from prison on $2 million bail.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson was released from custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Friday, online jail records show.

Ferguson, 74, was taken back into custody last month after the judge overseeing his case found he had lied about drinking alcohol while out on bail.

Ferguson pleaded not guilty last year to the murder of his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, which his attorney at the time said was an accident. Authorities said the couple argued in August 2023 and Ferguson was drinking when he pulled a handgun from an ankle holster and shot her in the chest.

Ferguson and his son called 911 and Ferguson texted his clerk and bailiff saying, “I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won't be there tomorrow. I will be in custody. “I’m so sorry,” prosecutors said in court filings. Authorities said they later found 47 weapons, including the pistol, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition in Ferguson's home.

The next court date in the Ferguson case is scheduled for November 15, according to his attorney, Ed Welbourn.