The ex-wife of a man suspected of gunning down a Maryland judge after he gave her custody of their children accused her ex-husband last year of physically abusing one of their children, according to a court filing obtained Friday by NBC News.
In a petition for a protection order filed on June 12, 2022, in Washington County District Court, the ex-wife also alleged that Pedro Argote, 49, harassed her through text messages, constantly monitored her through security cameras, and made threats to take away their children, aged 12, 11, 5, and 3, based on false claims of neglect.
In the petition, the ex-wife wrote that there was no more physical violence towards the 11-year-old because during the most recent incident, she stood between them and told him that he would have to hit or kill her to get to the child, as stated in the petition. It also mentions that he attempted to push her away.
“I will not tolerate this any longer,” she wrote. “I will protect my child.”
The petition detailed years of mistreatment of the 11-year-old by Argote. According to the petition, the ex-wife sought assistance from a domestic violence advocacy center in 2012 but did not receive the necessary help.
She also reached out to relatives for help, but Argote forced them to leave their home, as stated in the petition.
The petition was dismissed two weeks after it was filed, although the reason for dismissal is unclear. A lawyer representing the ex-wife has not yet responded to a request for comment.
In an earlier email, the lawyer, Erika Johnson, stated that she could not comment due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, when asked for an interview.
Johnson also mentioned that she was not aware of the fatal shooting of Washington County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, who was found dead in his Hagerstown home driveway a few hours after granting the divorce to the ex-wife.
According to a partially obtained copy of the divorce judgment, Wilkinson awarded custody of the children to the ex-wife and prohibited Argote from contacting them or visiting them.
The judge also ordered Argote to pay $1,120 per month in child support and barred him from entering the family’s home.
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