A California judge's bone-chilling rant after allegedly killing his wife has been disclosed in court.
In August, Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson was arrested and charged with killing his spouse, Sheryl Ferguson, in their home in the upscale neighborhood of Anaheim Hills.
Prosecutors claimed that on the night of Sheryl's death, the couple had an alcohol-fueled argument which ended with the judge pulling a pistol from an ankle holster and shooting his wife in the chest, as reported by PEOPLE.
The alleged incident was witnessed by the pair's 22-year-old son, Phillip, who called 911 shortly after 8PM.
Ferguson was previously charged with one felony count of murder, one count of felony enhancement of personal use of a firearm, and one count of felony enhancement of discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death.
Authorities revealed that they discovered 47 weapons in the judge's home, including the gun used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition.
According to The Independent, Anaheim police Det. Michael Nguyen testified in court that before the tragedy, Phillip claimed that his father made a gun gesture with his hands as a way of asking his mother to leave the restaurant the family was at.
When the family returned home, the parents were still fighting about the family’s finances, to which Sheryl allegedly said: "Why don’t you point a real gun at me?” before Ferguson pulled the trigger, shooting her at point blank range.
The judge asked his son to call the police and waited until officers arrived. Anaheim police officer Joshua Juntilla testified that Ferguson, who smelled of alcohol and appeared to be in shock with tears in his eyes - reportedly said: "Shoot me, shoot me.'"
Per The Los Angeles Times, officer Juntilla told the courtroom that while police tried to revive Sheryl - who was pronounced dead at the scene - Ferguson "let off a string of expletives".
"What did I do? My son will hate me forever," Ferguson reportedly told cops. "Can you have my son come over here and punch me in the face? I deserve it. I got everything I got coming."
Police officer Andrew Compton also revealed in his testimony that the judge "spontaneously stated, and used the words, ‘I just killed my wife’”.
Phillip said his parents had fought often but the arguments had never before turned physical. He believed Ferguson may have shot his mother in a drunken accident.
The suspect's lawyer T. Edward Welbourn requested Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter to dismiss the murder charge, noting his client’s son - the only eyewitness to the homicide - said he believed it was an accident.
Hunter disagreed, stating: “While I appreciate the son’s opinion that this was accidental - bless his heart - he’s in a horrible position," and added that the evidence indicated that Ferguson knew the risk of pointing a firearm at another person.
The former prosecutor is currently out on a $1 million bond with GPS and alcohol monitoring restrictions. He is scheduled to be arraigned on July 5, per the Associated Press.
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