The alleged child abuser, who is accused of killing the Maryland judge who awarded his estranged wife custody of their children, once stuffed a towel into the mouth of a crying baby, according to allegations made during a hearing just hours before the shooting.
Police found Judge Andrew Wilkinson dead in his Hagerstown driveway last Thursday evening with gunshot wounds. He was overseeing the divorce case involving his suspected killer, 49-year-old Pedro Argote, who had skipped a custody hearing that day in which the judge ruled against him.
Argote is the subject of an active manhunt after authorities found his 2009 Mercedes abandoned over the weekend in Williamsport.
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According to an audio recording of the hearing obtained by The Associated Press, Eugenia Argote told the court her husband was abusive and controlling, describing the towel incident, and restricted his wife's access to their finances and even their shared vehicle.
Lawyers for Eugenia Argote also accused her husband of halting mortgage payments. Pedro Argote's adult daughter from a prior relationship testified that he beat her and put cameras all around their house and spied on her.
"The manner in which Mr. Argote has isolated these children and mom over the past two years, I think that has gone on throughout the marriage, and it’s shocking," Wilkinson said on the recording. "I think he is abusive in multiple ways."
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Wilkinson not only awarded custody to the wife, but he also denied Pedro Argote visitation rights and ordered him to stay away from the children and the family home.
The judge's wife and son were home at the time of his alleged killing.
Argote does not have a criminal record in Washington County, but authorities have been called to his address for "verbal domestic assaults" twice within the last several years, according to the sheriff's office.
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Anyone with information regarding Argote's whereabouts is urged to contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 240-313-2170 or the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-WANTED2.
He has ties to other states, including New York and Florida. The U.S. Marshals are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his capture.
Fox News' Audrey Conklin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
