Orange County Judge Jeffrey Ferguson charged with murder in fatal shooting of wife Sheryl Ferguson at Anaheim Hills home

ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif. (KABC) — An Orange County Superior Court judge has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of his wife at their Anaheim Hills home, Eyewitness News has learned.

Jeffrey Malcolm Ferguson, 72, is accused of killing 65-year-old Sheryl Ferguson on the evening of Aug. 3. The shooting was reported shortly after 8 p.m. at a residence in the 8500 block of East Canyon Vista Drive, authorities said.

Officers arrived to find Sheryl Ferguson suffering from at least one gunshot wound, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jeffrey Ferguson was taken into custody without incident. He has booked on $1 million bail and released.

During the investigation at the scene, police served a search warrant and recovered 47 weapons – including rifles, shotguns, and handguns, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition. A .22 rifle legally registered to Ferguson remains unaccounted for, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors later filed one count of felony murder against him, with enhancements including personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death, and personal use of a firearm, according to a criminal complaint.

The court document alleges that Jeffrey Ferguson used a Glock .40 in the shooting, and her “threatened the victim earlier in the evening by making a hand gesture indicative of pointing a gun at her.”

Superior Court judge is an elected position in Orange County, with Ferguson winning reelection in March 2020. He has served in the role since 2015.

DEVELOPING: More details will be added to this report as they become available.