Sheryl Ferguson, 65, was fatally shot at her Anaheim Hills home on August 3, 2023. Police say officers responded about 8 p.m. to reports of a shooting on East Canyon Vista Drive and found Ferguson with at least one gunshot wound; she was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident reportedly followed a heated argument earlier that evening at a local restaurant between Sheryl and her husband, Jeffrey Ferguson, a 72-year-old Orange County Superior Court Judge, who was arrested at the residence on suspicion of murder after their adult son called 911.

Authorities allege Jeffrey Ferguson retrieved a .40-caliber pistol from an ankle holster and shot his wife at close range in the chest. Investigators recovered 47 weapons and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition from the home. He was booked on a murder charge with sentencing enhancements for the personal discharge of a firearm causing death and personal use of a firearm; he pleaded not guilty. Bail and release conditions have been contested, including a revoked and then increased bail after an alcohol-monitoring violation that Ferguson attributed to hand sanitizer and medication.

Anyone who knew Sheryl or has information about the evening of August 3, 2023, is asked to come forward.