An Orange County Superior Court judge was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison after killing his wife two years ago, a judge ruled Wednesday.

The sentencing means 74-year-old Jeffrey Ferguson will spend the rest of his life in custody after he was convicted on second-degree murder charges in April for the fatal shooting of his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, 65, on Aug. 3, 2023, in their Anaheim Hills home. He immediately admitted to police that he'd shot her, but claimed it was an accidental misfire.

Prosecutors disagreed, claiming that he picked up a gun and shot her after a night of drinking and arguing.

A clearly emotional and anxious Ferguson reacted in a Santa Ana courtroom Wednesday as Judge Eleanor J. Hunter read the sentencing. He broke down in tears at one point during the heari

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