The judge presiding over the retrial of an Orange County judge charged with murdering his wife accused him on Monday of going on a “press tour” after his mistrial in March.
Among interviews that Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson gave was an appearance on Inside Edition, where he said that he and wife were “just bickering like Lucy and Desi” before the judge said he accidentally shot and killed her.
Prosecutors don’t buy that. They accuse him of shooting her intentionally during a heated argument.
The previous jury deliberated for nine days before announcing on March 10 they were hopelessly hung.
On Monday, April 7, before a jury was selected for the retrial, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter criticized Ferguson for doing multiple interviews with reporters after the mistrial.
“I know Mr. Ferguson went on a press tour” after the hung jury led to a mistrial, Hunter said. “One of the things that piqued my interest is he was looking for it to be resolved.”
She said if Ferguson wanted a plea deal without doing any time behind bars, then the answer was no.
Hunter also warned Ferguson that he may have run afoul of judicial ethics that prohibit judges from commenting on pending cases.
“He’s not allowed to comment on a case that is open,” she said.
Hunter said the only reason she could see for Ferguson doing the interviews would be to taint the jury pool.
“And that’s got to be a violation of the code of ethics,” she said.
While his defense lawyer argued at trial that Ferguson accidentally fired the fatal gunshot after his bad shoulder gave out and he fumbled the weapon, prosecutors say the judge reached for the gun in his ankle holster and shot his wife intentionally, during a heated argument.
In the first trial, jurors split 11-1 favoring guilt on second-degree murder, The deliberations ending with the mistrial lasted longer than the trial itself.
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