DESPERATE MANHUNT

Suspect Accused of Killing Maryland Judge Had Just Lost Custody of His Kids

The suspect, who remained at large on Friday, had lost custody of his children in the Thursday court hearing.

A Maryland circuit court judge was shot dead in his driveway on Thursday night by a man who had a contentious divorce hearing before the judge that day in which he lost custody of his children, Washington County Sheriff Brian Albert said Friday.

The suspect, identified by authorities as 49-year-old Pedro Argote, was still at large and considered “armed and dangerous” on Friday.

The sheriff’s office said it responded to reports of a shooting in Hagerstown at around 8 p.m. Thursday and found the victim, Maryland Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, with “what appeared to be gunshot wounds.”

Albert said Wilkinson’s wife and son were inside their home when he was gunned down on the driveway. He was rushed to a medical facility where he later died.

According to WJLA, Maryland State Police troopers were dispatched to protect other judges on Thursday night. Albert said those protections remained through Friday morning, but he doesn’t believe Argote is a threat to other local judges.

According to The Herald-Mail, Wilkinson had signed an order on Thursday preventing Argote from visiting or contacting his three children.

He also ordered there be no contact between Argote and the children’s mother, gave the mother “sole use and possession of the family home,” and ordered Argote to make a 2009 Mercedes available to the mother for necessary shopping or medical appointments.

The sheriff’s office said they’re now searching for Argote as well as a silver 2009 Mercedes GL450 with the Maryland license plate 4EH0408.

Albert said Friday that Argote did not attend Thursday’s court hearing in person, and cops weren’t aware of any previous threats to Wilkinson.

Michael Gast, a Maryland divorce attorney who represented Argote for three months last summer, told The Daily Beast that he did not pick up any red flags from his client.

“I knew he had a gun and a permit, but he never gave any indication he could be dangerous,” he said.

Albert confirmed that the gun used by Argote was legally purchased.

Tributes to Wilkinson poured in on Friday, with former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan calling his death an act of “horrific violence” that “shakes the foundation of our justice system.”

“Judge Wilkinson was an exceptional judge and was a pillar in our community,” Neil C. Parrott, a former delegate in the Maryland House of Delegates, said in a statement. “The events tonight are catastrophic for Washington County, for Maryland, and for our justice system.”

Maryland State Sen. Paul Corderman, who represents Hagerstown, said in a statement that Wilkinson was a “dedicated public servant and champion for Washington County.”