Suspect in killing of Maryland judge is found dead, officials say

A man accused of fatally shooting Judge Andrew Wilkinson in the driveway of his Maryland home was found dead Thursday, ending a weeklong manhunt, officials said.

The suspect, Pedro Argote, 49, had been on the run since the Oct. 19 shooting of Wilkinson, a circuit court judge in Washington County who hours earlier had ruled against Argote in a child custody dispute involving his estranged wife.

At 11 a.m. Thursday, a search in Williamsport led to the discovery of a deceased person who was positively identified as Argote, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.

"We’re pretty sure that, you know, obviously we got our guy," Sheriff Brian Albert said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

"The Washington County community can breathe a little easier this afternoon," he added.

Argote's body was found in a heavily wooded area about a mile northwest of where his vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz SUV, was found Saturday. The U.S. Marshals Service had offered a reward of up to $10,000 for tips leading to his arrest.

Albert said that until an autopsy is completed, the sheriff’s office does not plan to comment on the cause or time of Argote’s death.

He added that Wilkinson’s family was relieved to hear that the suspect’s body had been discovered.

"We just came from Judge Wilkinson’s viewing, met with the family. They were very appreciative," he said. "It brings a little bit of closure to them, but it’s still a tragedy. They lost a husband, father and a brother.”

Wilkinson, 52, was the judge overseeing Argote's divorce case, which was filed in June 2022.

The day of the shooting, at a hearing at which Argote was not present, Wilkinson gave his estranged wife custody of their four children, ages 3 to 12, and banned Argote from contacting or visiting them, according to a copy of the partial divorce judgment obtained by NBC News.

Wilkinson also ordered Argote to pay $1,120 a month in child support and banned him from entering the family's home in Hagerstown.

Court records show Argote's wife filed a domestic violence petition against him in June 2022, alleging emotional and physical abuse. It resulted in a dismissal less than two weeks later.

Albert, the sheriff, told reporters last week that he believed the shooting was in response to the judge's child custody decision.

On Thursday, he said the police department had "added some security throughout the community" to protect judges but declined to offer further details about what that security entailed.

Wilkinson's killing followed other high-profile attacks on and threats to members of the judiciary and their families. Last year, a retired Wisconsin judge was fatally shot in his home by a gunman who had an apparent hit list targeting prominent politicians and people. In 2020, a federal judge in New Jersey saw her 20-year-old son gunned down and her husband injured when an aggrieved former litigant opened fire at the family's home, police said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore denounced the killing of Wilkinson, whose wife and son were home at the time of the shooting, as "cold-blooded" and "vicious."

"My heart goes out to Judge Wilkinson's family, and my prayers are with everyone who knew him, loved him, and served alongside him," Moore said in a statement.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com