Christine Dolan

Maryland law enforcement officials on Friday named
Pedro Argote as a suspect in the Thursday shooting
of Washington County Circuit Court Assistant Judge
Andrew Wilkinson.
Wilkinson, 52, was found dead at approximately
8pm in his residential driveway on Olde Waterford
Road in Hagerstown Thursday evening with
gunshot wounds, according to the Washington
County Sheriff's Office.
The judge was pronounced dead at Meritus Medical
Center.
Federal, state and local law enforcement are
involved in the search for Argote, 49, and his
vehicle, "a silver 2009 Mercedes GL450, displaying
Maryland registration plates 4EH0408."
"Anyone with information in reference to Argote’s
location is asked to not approach him but to
immediately notify law enforcement," the sheriff’s
office stated. "This continues to be an active
investigation, certain details of the case will not be
released to the public by law enforcement."
Judge Wilkinson presided over a divorce custody
hearing earlier on Thursday when he ruled in favor
of Argote’s ex-wife for custody of their children.
Pedro Argote did not attend that court hearing.
Although Argote has no criminal record in
Washington County, the police have been called to
the Argote residence for verbal domestic abuse.

the Argote residence for verbal domestic abuse.
Argote’s gun was properly registered according to
the sheriff’s office.
According to court records, the Argote divorce
began in 2022. The next hearing was scheduled for
October 31.
Wilkinson had been an associate judge for the 4th
Judicial Circuit since 2020, according to his profile
on the Washington County website. He was born in
Guam in 1971 and earned his degrees from the
University of North Carolina and Emory University
School of Law.
The Washington County Sheriff’s office released the
picture below of Argote’s car model.