A judge in the state of Maryland was shot and murdered in the driveway of his house on Thursday night, October 19, according to reports released by officials.
Washington County Sheriff Brian Albert said that police were hunting for a suspect in the shooting who had committed the crime only hours after losing custody of his children in a divorce hearing presided over by the judge.
Targeted Attack
Associate Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, of Hagerstown's Washington County Circuit Court, was the victim. According to CBS News, he was brought to Meritus Medical Center, where he later died.
On social media, former state delegate Neil Parrott claimed that Wilkinson had been shot "multiple times." A homicide investigation is reportedly ongoing.
After a thorough investigation, Albert narrowed the suspect pool down to 49-year-old Pedro Argote. Albert said in a media release on Friday, October 20, that Argote was believed to be armed and dangerous. The sheriff's office made an appeal on social media, asking for anybody with knowledge of Argote's whereabouts to not approach him but to instead contact law police.
On Thursday, Wilkinson presided over a hearing on Argote's divorce, which Argote reportedly did not attend. At the hearing, Argote's custody of his children was revoked, and Albert claimed that this was the impetus for his attack on Wilkinson.
The Maryland State Police said Friday that, as a precaution, troopers had been sent to Washington County to safeguard the area's judges. Later on, Albert said that officials do not have any information suggesting that judges in the county are in danger.
The city of Hagerstown may be found approximately 75 miles to the northwest of Baltimore, close to the West Virginia and Pennsylvania borders.
No other information was made available, and the inquiry is still active. According to CBS, the sheriff's office is in charge of the investigation and will have a news conference this Friday.
'To Serve the Community'
Wilkinson has served as a judge in Maryland's 4th Judicial Circuit since January 2020, according to the state's official website. At his swearing-in ceremony, Wilkinson reportedly claimed he became a judge so he could help people in his community. "It's an honor, and it's humbling, and I'm happy to serve," he stated.
He was born in Agana, Guam, in 1971 and earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina and Emory University, respectively. From 2006 to 2012, he served as an Assistant Washington County Attorney, and from 2006 to 2019, he served on the Character Committee of the State Board of Law Examiners.
Wilkinson's murder is only the most recent in a string of violent incidents targeting judges and their loved ones. According to the US Marshals Service fact sheet, featured by CNN, almost 1,300 investigations were conducted into threats or probable threats against federal court officials in fiscal year 2022.
