A mistrial has been explained in the murder case of 2023 of a judge of Orange County who is accused of shooting and killing his wife, confirmed the Associated Press.
A judge declared a mistrial on Monday after a jury was unable to reach a unanimous judgment in the case against Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, accused of shooting and killing his wife Sheryl Ferguson in Their Anaheim Hills Home in August 2023.
The jury delegated for eight days more than 40 hours before they found that they were unable to break the 11-1 stalemate on a second-degree murder attack, the outlet reported.
Prosecutors told the AP that they intend to try the case again.
The lawyer of Judge Ferguson says it was a ‘casual shooting’. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, Pool)
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer shared a statement with FOX News Digital about the Mistrial who was declared and said they were disappointed about the outcome, but will continue to assess what information the jury was presented.
“Justice is in the hands of 12 strangers who were taken from their daily lives and have given the enormous responsibility to weigh the evidence and to determine guilt or innocence,” said Spitzer.
“Although we are disappointed about the outcome, we will discuss the questions of the jury together with the facts and meet the victim’s family to make a decision about this case in the coming weeks. The public prosecutor has always been available to meet with the victim’s family if they are something they ask.”
The shooting happened After Ferguson and his wife had a fight in a restaurant, when the two returned home and continued the argument before pulling a gun from his ankle hole and shot her in the chest, according to public prosecutors.
The adult son of the couple claimed that his father was drunk at the time of the argument.
Ferguson, who was an officer of justice before he became a judge in 2015, was initially released on $ 1 million bail, but is now back in prison after he reportedly lied about drinking alcohol during the trial pending the trial.
Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, Oranje County Superior Court, was on trial for the fatal shooting of his wife at their house. (Anaheim Police Department)
Ferguson has not argued guilty, but said prosecutors He confessed the murder When texting with his clerk and bailiff.
“I just shot my wife. I won’t be in it tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m sorry,” Ferguson reported.
Public prosecutors say that Ferguson drank and deliberately shot her during the argument, while Ferguson claims that the gun went off accidentally while he removed it from his holster.
Authorities found 47 weapons and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition in the house, which are legally owned.
Public prosecutors say that Ferguson drank and deliberately shot her during the argument, while Ferguson claims that the gun went off accidentally while he removed it from his holster. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, Larry Rosen via AP)
The judge’s lawyer told the outlet that he is hopeful that there is an agreement with public prosecutors because of the age of Ferguson and the support he has received from the brother of his wife and the son of the couple.
“I think the evidence shows that there was never any intention to deliberately kill anyone,” Cameron
Larry Rosen, the brother of Sheryl Ferguson, told reporters that he was satisfied with the outcome and not believes that the murder was murder, and added that he and his brothers feel that the shooting was an accident, and he would like to reach prosecutors to reach a deal with Ferguson.
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“For me it shows that the jury, at least to a certain extent, is just as conflict as I,” said Rosen. “I just don’t think murder is the right call. I really don’t.”
A hearing for Set a new test date is planned for Thursday.
Landon Mion from FOX News Digital and the Associated Press have contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for FOX News Digital and Fox Business. She deals with topics, including missing persons, murders, national crime cases, illegal immigration and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]
