Judge fatally shot in ‘targeted attack’ authorities seek man who had divorce case before him

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A man who lost custody of his children in a contentious divorce case before a Washington County (Maryland) Circuit Court judge Thursday is being sought in the fatal shooting of the judge later in the day.

Investigators are searching for Pedro Argote, 49, in connection with the shooting. Argote is 5’7”, 130 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. He may be operating a silver 2009 Mercedes GL450, displaying Maryland registration plates 4EH0408. Court records show he had a hearing Thursday before Judge Andrew Wilkinson on a divorce matter.

Anyone with information in reference to Argote’s location is asked to not approach him but to immediately notify law enforcement.

Argote lived in Hagerstown with his family — a wife and four children — even as he filed for divorce in June of 2022. The couple lived separately in the home for two years before Argote filed, according to court records.

In an order issued Thursday, Wilkinson directed that there be no contact between Argote and his children or wife. The judge also granted Argote’s wife sole use of the family’s home and ordered Argote not to enter the home. Argote was also ordered to pay $1,120 in child support per month, according to the order.

Argote was also to make the family’s Mercedes available to his wife when needed.

According to court records, Argote ran a digital advertising business with his wife, but the couple was experiencing “financial challenges” during the divorce.

Argote’s wife filed for a domestic violence protection order against her husband in June 2022. In the petition, the woman wrote that Argote was leaving her without any financial resources and controlling her movements because he kept the car keys in his possession at all times. She had to intervene when he tried to become violent with their daughter in October 2020, according to the petition.

“I got in the middle and told him for him to get to her he needed to hit me or kill me,” she wrote. She called Ruth’s House, an intimate partner violence center, in 2012, she wrote, but never got enough help to leave.

“I need help,” she wrote. “Physical violence is not the only kind of violence.”

The woman wrote that she began trying to save money, following advice she had read for domestic violence victims, but Argote took what she had saved.

“I can’t get out of the house without his knowledge,” she wrote.

“I have been trying to get out of this relationship for the longest time but for the fear that he will try to get custody of the kids,” she wrote.

A list of the couple’s property shows that Argote owned a 9mm Glock handgun. His wife listed in the domestic violence petition that he owned at least two firearms.

A temporary protection order was granted, but Argote’s wife ultimately asked to dismiss the case, court records show.

Argote is being sought in the shooting death of Wilkinson, who was found in a driveway when sheriff’s deputies responded to the 19100 block of Olde Waterford Road in Hagerstown at about 8 p.m. for a reported shooting. Property records show that Wilkinson owned a house in that block.

Wilkinson was transported to Meritus Medical Center but did not survive his injuries, the office said.

The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is ongoing.

Out of precaution, Maryland State Police were deployed and did checks at Washington County judges homes Thursday night. In nearby Frederick County, the Sheriff’s Office has been conducting checks on the homes of judges and magistrates as a precaution, though no known threats have been made.

“We’re gonna be as vigilant as we can,” Frederick County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Todd Wivell said in a phone interview.

The Sheriff’s Office hadn’t received a request for assisting in the case as of 7:30 a.m., Wivell said.

The Maryland Judiciary released a statement on Thursday morning: “The Maryland Judiciary mourns the tragic death of Judge Andrew Wilkinson. As we grieve his loss, we ask that you keep the Wilkinson family in your prayers and please respect their privacy.”

The Maryland Judiciary said it is actively engaging with law enforcement to assist in resolving this matter and to ensure the safety of judges, staff and visitors.

Wilkinson, 52, became a Washington County Circuit judge in January 2020, following an appointment from then-Gov. Larry Hogan. Wilkinson worked briefly as a solo practitioner before he joined the bench, and from 2012 until 2018 he was worked at Divelbiss & Wilkinson, where he specialized in land use, according to his LinkedIn page.

He also served as an assistant county attorney in Washington County for six years, according to his biography in the Maryland Manual. He graduated from the University of North Carolina with an economics degree in 1994, and received his J.D. from Emory University School of Law  in 1997. He clerked on the Washington County Circuit Court after graduating law school, according to the biography.

Wilkinson was born in Agana, Guam, in 1971. His online biography also tells of a rich personal life: He was a longtime member of St. Ann Roman Catholic Church and had coached youth soccer.

He was a father and husband.