Flowers are placed next to the garage door in the drive way of the home of Maryland circuit court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, Friday, Oct. 20. 2023, in Hagerstown, Md. Pedro Argote is suspected of gunning down the judge in his driveway hours after he ruled against him in a divorce case. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick). Inset top: Maryland Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson (via Maryland Courts). Inset bottom: Pedro Argote (via U.S. Marshals Service)
As authorities nationwide search for the person they say is responsible for killing a Maryland Circuit Court judge, a former federal judge says the deadly attack proves how vulnerable judges can be in their communities.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office named Pedro Argote, 49, as the suspect in the death of Judge Andrew Wilkinson in Hagerstown, Maryland on Thursday. The judge was reportedly in his own driveway when he was shot. First responders rushed him to a hospital but he died not survive his injuries.
Officials say Argote was part of divorce proceedings in Wilkinson’s court. On the day of his death, Wilkinson granted Argote’s ex-wife full custody of the couple’s four children. He also ordered that Argote pay monthly child support and not be allowed visitation. The sheriff says Argote himself was not in court when the decision was handed down.
On Saturday, the suspect’s car was found abandoned in Williamsport, about eight miles from Hagerstown. Argote is believed to have ties to multiple areas, including Brooklyn and Long Island, New York; Tampa and Clearwater, Florida; Columbus, Indiana; and parts of North Carolina.
The U.S. Marshals Service says Pedro Argote should be considered armed and dangerous. There’s a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The Honorable Larry Stengel, former chief judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania spoke with Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast about the case.
“Judges make decisions that affect people’s lives in so many different ways,” Stengel told host Jesse Weber. “There are frequently very unhappy people after a judge makes a decision, even in civil litigation, and it’s very common in family litigation. My initial impression was just to be struck by the great sadness of this event and how vulnerable judges can be.”
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Stengel says safety is consistently in the back of one’s mind when serving in a judicial position.
“I think you always have to be careful,” he said. “I don’t think colleagues of mine let it rule their lives, but you are aware at some level that you make decisions that have a great impact on people and then you go get in line for the subway or go out to get something to eat.”
“And in smaller communities, people know who the judges are,” Stengel continued. “They are high profile in their communities. So I think all that contributes.”
“The truth is, judges, particularly in the family court/domestic relations world, make those decision all the time,” the judge also said. “They remove children from the custody of the parents. In child protective cases, they’ll remove the children from the home. And those can be highly charged, emotional cases. These cases where the stakes are so high and the judge’s decision hits so personally, I’m not frankly surprised to hear that it happened.”
Stengel says he’s aware of three credible threats against him during his 28 years on the bench. He says there was also one threat during his current retirement.
“It’s terribly tragic,” Stengel said. “A judge should be able to make those decisions and the parties should be willing to live within the system and exercise their objections to that decision through the appeal process.”
Anyone with any information about Pedro Argote or his location is asked to call the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-WANTED2 or send tips via the tip app.
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