An Orange County Superior Court judge was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years to life in prison for fatally shooting his wife during a prolonged argument at their Anaheim Hills home.

Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, was convicted in an April retrial of second-degree murder for killing 65-year-old Sheryl Ferguson on Aug. 3, 2023. Jurors also found true a sentence-enhancing gun allegation.

A previous jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of a second-degree murder conviction, prompting the retrial.

“I love my wife, Sheryl, with all my heart,” Ferguson told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter, who sentenced the defendant to five years less than the maximum. She was brought in to oversee the case because of Ferguson’s position on the Orange County bench.

Ferguson said he and his wife were lookin

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