'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On October 26, 2023, Pedro Argote, 49, was found dead during an expanded evidentiary search in Williamsport, Maryland.
Pedro was identified as a suspect in the shooting of Washington County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, on October 19, 2023, after the judge ruled against him in a child custody case. He had been on the run since then.
According to a press release by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Maryland, authorities discovered the body at around 11 am in a heavily wooded region between Clear Spring Road and Bottom Road, which is about a mile northwest of where Pedro's vehicle was found.
A weeklong manhunt for Pedro Argote comes to an end
NBC News reported that Washington County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson was in charge of Pedro Argote's divorce case, which was filed in June 2022.
On the day of the shooting, there was a hearing on Pedro's case for which he was not present, and Judge Wilkinson ruled in favor of his estranged wife, granting her sole custody of their four children, ages 3 to 12, and barring Pedro from contacting and visiting them along with entering the family's residence in Hagerstown.
At the hearing, Judge Wilkinson also mentioned that Pedro was to pay $1,120 monthly in child support. Hours following the hearing, Pedro reportedly shot Judge Wilkinson in the latter's driveway in Hagerstown, Maryland. Authorities launched a manhunt for Pedro Argote, offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest.
The Associated Press reported that on October 21, 2023, authorities located Pedro's SUV in a wooded area in Williamsport, which was about 8 miles southwest of Hagerstown, where the judge was killed. Following the discovery of his vehicle, authorities searched the area but could not locate Pedro. Later, they conducted an extensive search, which led to the finding of the body.
Pedro Argote's wife filed a domestic violence petition against him in June 2022
NBC News reported that, as per court records, Pedro Argote's wife filed a domestic violence petition against him in June 2022, claiming emotional and physical abuse. The petition was dismissed in less than two weeks of it being filed.
Law & Crime reported that the petition states that Pedro's ex-wife attempted multiple times to get out of her ex-husband's alleged abuse and reached out for help from a domestic violence center in 2012, which she claimed was not fruitful.
ABC News reported that Washington County Sheriff Brian Albert shared that the cause and time of the death of Pedro Argote remain unknown until an autopsy is conducted.
The Associated Press reported that a statement issued by the Maryland judiciary commended the work of law enforcement and requested privacy on behalf of Wilkinson's family. The statement read,
"We continue to grieve the loss of our colleague and friend while supporting the Wilkinson family, the judges and staff of the Circuit Court for Washington County, and the entire Hagerstown and broader Washington County community."
According to the report by the Associated Press, a funeral for Judge Andrew Wilkinson was organized on the morning of October 27, 2023, in Hagerstown.
