NewsNation

California judge arrested after wife found dead in Anaheim Hills home

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — An Orange County Superior Court judge is in custody Friday after his wife was found dead in their Anaheim Hills home.

Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, was arrested following a report of gunfire in the 8500 block of East Canyon Vista Drive shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday.


Police investigate a fatal shooting that occurred in Anaheim Hills on Aug. 3, 2023. (KTLA)

Officers arrived to find Ferguson’s wife, 65-year-old Sheryl Ferguson, suffering from at least one gunshot wound.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, police confirmed.

Authorities took Jeffrey Ferguson into custody on suspicion of killing his wife and then sought search warrants to gather evidence.

The Fergusons’ son, who is in his 20s and was at the home at the time of the shooting, was questioned by police.

A neighbor who did not want to be identified told NewsNation affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles the judge had lived in the home with his wife for more than 20 years. The neighbor also said that he saw Jeffrey Ferguson being taken away in handcuffs.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson is seen in this booking photo provided by the Anaheim Police Department.

Police later released a booking photo confirming Ferguson had been arrested in connection with the killing.

Ferguson served as a Superior Court judge in Orange County since 2015.

According to his own campaign biography, Sheryl had previously worked for both the Orange County and Santa Barbara probation departments.

Jeffrey Ferguson was being held at Anaheim City Jail on $1 million bail.