Lawyers directly addressed the jury, which has been deadlocked since Monday, in the murder trial for Orange County Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, heatedly sparring about whether the judge’s discharge of the gun that killed his wife in 2023 met the definition for involuntary manslaughter or second-degree murder under California law.
Prosecution and defense counsel on Wednesday directly addressed the jury, which has been deadlocked since Monday, in the murder trial for Orange County Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, heatedly sparring about whether the judge’s discharge of the gun that killed his wife in 2023 met the definition for involuntary manslaughter or second-degree murder under California law.
Defense counsel Cameron Talley of the Law Offices of Cameron Talley—who originally argued for total acquittal and said that involuntary manslaughter “did not apply” to his client—appeared to change tactics on Wednesday. Though he still contended that the gun’s discharge was an accident, he told Judge Eleanor J. Hunter that he wished to convey to the jury that a verdict of involuntary manslaughter was a “better fit” than second-degree murder.
