Ex-wife of suspect in killing of Maryland judge accused him of child abuse, court docs show
The ex-wife of a man suspected of fatally shooting a Maryland judge this week accused him of physically abusing one of their four kids, court documents show.
Pedro Argote is being actively sought by state and federal authorities in connection with the killing of Maryland Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson Thursday night.
The 49-year-old allegedly shot and killed Wilkinson hours after the judge gave Argote’s ex-wife custody of their kids, Washington County Sheriff Brian Albert said, calling the incident a “targeted attack.”
Argote, who shared four children — ages 12, 11, 5 and 3 — with his ex-wife, is also accused of physically abusing one of the kids, according to court documents obtained on Friday by NBC News.
In a petition for a protective order filed in Washington County District Court on June 12, 2022, the ex-wife accused Argote of having abused the 11-year-old.
The abuse went on for a very long time, the ex-wife said. She says she sought help from a domestic violence advocacy center a decade earlier but didn’t get the help she needed.
However, according to the June 2022 document, the physical abuse had stopped after she confronted Argote and told him if he wanted “to get to [the child], he needed to hit me or kill me.”
“I am not taking this anymore,” she wrote. “I will protect my child.”
According to the petition, Argote also harassed his ex-wife via text messages and monitored her constantly through security cameras.
She also accused him of threatening to take custody of their kids over neglect claims, which she said were unfounded.
Argote, who’s considered armed and dangerous, is still on the run.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest.
Authorities say he has ties to multiple locations outside Maryland, including Brooklyn and Long Island in New York, Tampa and Clearwater in Florida; Columbus, Indiana, and unnamed cities in North Carolina
Police say Argote is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. He may be driving a silver 2009 Mercedes GL450, with Maryland license plates 4EH0408.
