Drunk US judge shot wife during argument while watching 'Breaking Bad', confesses: 'I killed her'

A Southern California judge who shot and killed his wife during a heated domestic dispute is now standing trial for murder, with prosecutors arguing the killing was deliberate while his defense insists it was a tragic accident.

Jeffrey Ferguson, a 74-year-old Orange County Superior Court judge, was captured on police body-camera footage confessing to the fatal shooting of his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, on August 3, 2023. The courtroom fell into silence on Wednesday as jurors watched the damning footage. “I killed her,” Ferguson is heard saying. “I did it.”

According to Prosecutor Seton Hunt, the fatal night began with an argument over finances at a restaurant, where Ferguson had been drinking. The tension followed the couple home to Anaheim Hills, where they sat watching 'Breaking Bad' with their adult son. At one point, Ferguson allegedly made a gun-hand gesture toward his wife. Sheryl, unshaken, reportedly challenged him, “Why don’t you point a real gun at me?” Moments later, Ferguson allegedly pulled out a loaded firearm from his ankle holster and fired.

Ferguson’s defense, led by attorney Cameron J. Talley, does not dispute that he fired the gun but argues the shooting was accidental. The judge, who has pleaded not guilty, is expected to testify in his own defense later in the trial.

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'I just lost it'- Haunting messages and 911 call

Immediately after the shooting, both Ferguson and his son called 911. The judge also sent a chilling text message to his court clerk and bailiff, reading: “I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry.”

Bodycam footage shown in court captured Ferguson, handcuffed outside his home, cursing and frantically asking officers whether his wife was still alive. In a moment of despair, he is heard lamenting that his actions would make his family despise him, even likening himself to the violent criminals he once prosecuted.

His son, Phillip Ferguson, took the stand and provided emotional testimony, revealing that his father had drilled him on firearm safety, stressing the golden rule: never point a gun at someone. After hearing the gunshot, Phillip leaped over the couch, seized the weapon from his father, and desperately tried to save his mother’s life by performing CPR. “As I was jumping over the couch, I heard her say, ‘He shot me,’” he recounted.

Investigators later uncovered 47 firearms and over 26,000 rounds of ammunition at his home. Prosecutors argue that his extensive familiarity with firearms dismantles any claim that the shooting was accidental.

Ferguson, elected as an Orange County judge in 2012, was initially granted bail at $1 million but was later re-arrested for violating bail conditions by consuming alcohol. He was released again on a $2 million bond.

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