After a one-week manhunt, the man who is suspected of shooting and ki*lling the Maryland judge who presided over his divorce proceedings has been apprehended, according to authorities.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office claims that on October 19, Pedro Argote, 49, k*illed Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, in the judge’s driveway in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Police in Williamsport, Maryland, found Argote’s body early Thursday morning during a search. Police say the body was found in a heavily wooded area about a mile from where his car was found last week.
Sheriff Brian Albert of Washington County said that the cause of d*eath and time of de*ath will not be known until an autopsy is done.
On October 20, police said they were looking for Argote and offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information that led to his capture.
Albert says that Wilkinson was in charge of Argote’s divorce proceedings. At a hearing earlier that day on Oct. 19, Argote’s ex-wife was given custody of their children. Albert said this is likely what led to the shooting that night.
According to court documents obtained by ABC News, Wilkinson also told Argote to pay child support and told him he couldn’t visit or talk to his kids or wife unless she asked him to. He also gave his wife full control of the family home.
The sheriff said that even though finding Argote is “relief,” it is “still a tragedy.”
We just got back from seeing Judge Wilkinson’s family and friends. They were very grateful. It gives them some peace of mind, but it’s still a tragedy. He said, “They lost a husband, a father, and a brother.”
