Suspect in killing of Maryland judge found dead

(Reuters) – A Maryland man sought in the shooting death of the judge who presided over his divorce case has been found dead, police said on Thursday.

The body of Pedro Argote, 49, was founded in a wooded area near Williamsport, Maryland, during a search for evidence in the case, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a brief statement posted to its Facebook (NASDAQ:) page.

The sheriff’s office did not release a cause of death.

Maryland Circuit Court Associate Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, was found outside his home in Hagerstown around 8 p.m. on Oct. 19, with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The search for Argote spread to several states after his car was found a few days later near Hagerstown, a small city near the Pennsylvania border.

Argote, who legally owned a gun, was scheduled to attend a divorce hearing on the day of the shooting, but failed to show up, Washington County Sheriff Brian Albert said following the shooting.

“This was a targeted attack on Judge Wilkinson,” the sheriff said at a press conference the day after the shooting.

Judge Wilkinson granted a divorce to Argote’s wife, according to court papers. Media accounts said his former wife was granted custody of their four minor children.

Albert said police were sent to Argote’s Washington County home a few times on “domestic calls,” but no arrests were ever made and that Argote did not have a police record.

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