A California judge identified as Jeffrey Ferguson has shot his wife, Sheryl dead while drunk.
He committed the crime with a gun concealed in an ankle holster.
The suspect allegedly texted a colleague shortly after the shooting.
He said:
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“I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody.”
When police arrived at Ferguson’s home to find his wife dead from a gunshot wound to the chest, the court was informed that he had dozens of weapons and 26,000 rounds of ammunition there.
The 72-year-old judge on Orange County Superior Court, allegedly smelled strongly of alcohol when he was taken into custody.
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Ferguson and Sheryl reportedly started quarrelling on August 3 over dinner at a restaurant close to their opulent Anaheim suburb home, according to a court in Los Angeles.
The Orange County Deputy District Attorney Christopher Alex said;
“… pointed his finger at his wife in a manner mimicking a firearm.”
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Alex explained that the 65-year-old Sheryl continued the argument at her house and said:
“Why don’t you point a real gun at me?”
The lawyer told the court and said that Ferguson “retrieved his pistol from his ankle holster and shot” her in the chest from a short distance at this point.
Thereafter, Ferguson called 911 and requested a paramedic, reporting that his wife had been shot.
Alex testified in court that when a dispatcher asked him if he had fired the gun, he replied that he didn’t want to talk about it right then.
Ferguson texted his court clerk and bailiff after hanging up the phone he said:
” I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry.”
Forty-seven legally owned firearms were discovered during a home search.
However, when he appeared in court on Tuesday, Ferguson, a judge since 2015, denied having killed anyone.
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A lawyer identified as Paul Meyer told newsmen outside the court and said:
“We want to be clear this was an unintentional, accidental shooting and not a crime.”
Ferguson received a no-drinking directive along with his release on bail, but will likely make another court appearance on October 30.
