Pedro Argote, suspect in murder of Maryland judge, found dead | US News

‘The Washington County community can breathe a little easier this afternoon,’ Sheriff Brian Albert said.

Wilkinson, 52, was found dead in his driveway from gunshot wounds on the evening of Thursday, October 19, prompting police to rush to the homes of other local judges as a safety precaution.

The next morning, investigators identified the suspect as Pedro Argote,

Just hours before the shooting, Argote appeared before Wilkinson for a custody hearing.

Argote and his wife had been involved in contentious divorce proceedings for the the last year, which included custody and visitation rights for their four young children, all between the ages of 3 and 12.

Both Argote’s wife and his adult daughter from a previous marriage took the stand to testify against him, claiming that he was controlling, abusive, and kept his family isolated in their own homes.

Argote’s daughter testified that he would install cameras in the house to ‘watch my every move,’ and was confined to her bedroom for most of her teenage years.

‘The manner in which Mr. Argote has isolated these children and mom over the past two years, I think that has gone on throughout the marriage, and it’s shocking,’ Wilkinson said. ‘I think he is abusive in multiple ways.’

Wilkinson eventually barred Argote from visiting or contacting the children.

Hours later, Wilkinson was shot dead in his driveway in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Argote’s car, a silver Mercedes-Benz GL450, was found abandoned in the woods about eight miles from Wilkinson’s home on Saturday.

Investigators located his body five days later after returning to the scene for an evidentiary search.

The body was located about one mile away from his car, Sheriff Albert confirmed.

His cause of death will be released after an autopsy has been completed by the Washington County Medical Examiner’s Office.

‘It’s a relief, but it’s still a tragedy,’ Sheriff Albert said at a press conference on Thursday, noting that he and other Sheriff’s Office personnel just returned from Wilkinson’s funeral.

‘It brings a little bit of closure to them, but it’s still a tragedy,’ Albert said. ‘They lost a husband, father, and a brother.’

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