Maryland judge murdered in his driveway

The suspected killer of Washington County, Maryland Circuit Court Judge Andrew F. Wilkinson is still at large this evening, according to this recent post from CBS News.

Wilkinson had awarded custody of Pedro Argote's four children to the children's mother in an order entered yesterday, only hours before Argote allegedly shot the judge in the judge's Hagerstown driveway.

Wilkinson's wife and son were at home at the time.

According to the Hagerstown Herald-Mail, the order specified that there was to be no visitation or contact between Argote and his children. There also was to be no contact between Argote and the children's mother. The order also barred Argote from the family home, giving his ex-wife "sole use and possession." In addition to paying his ex-wife $1,120 a month for child support, Argote was also supposed to make his 2009 Mercedes available to the children's mother "upon reasonable request to attend to necessary shopping or medical or dental appointments" for her or the children.

The Herald-Mail site notes that Argote was believed to be driving that Mercedes.

Divorce cases can be especially perilous for judges.

Some FWIW readers may remember when Judge Henry Gentile was murdered in his Daley Center courtroom, back in 1983. Wheelchair-bound Hutchie Moore, in court contesting a divorce settlement, pulled a gun out from under a lap blanket and shot and killed Gentile and James Piszczor, who was representing Moore's ex-wife. This archived UPI story notes how Moore, having done what he had set out to do, sat waiting for police to come arrest him.

The bench can be an attractive destination for many lawyers. The pay is good, the pension generous (even if it is not as good as it once was). There are many benefits.

But there are also risks.