An associate circuit court judge was shot on the driveway of his home in Hagerstown, Maryland Thursday night and later died in a hospital, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said. His assailant was being sought.
There was no initial indication of a possible motive or whether the slaying was related to Wilkinson’s duties as a judge.
But Maryland State police said Friday that “troopers were deployed to protect judges residing in Washington County” Thursday night “for precautionary reasons.”
The victim was identified as Washington County Circuit Court Associate Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, of Hagerstown.
State delegate Neil Parrott (R-MD) said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Wilkinson was apparently shot “multiple times.”
Horrible news in Washington County tonight. It appears that Judge Andrew Wilkinson was shot multiple times and has passed away. Police are actively searching for the murderer. Please pray for our police and for Judge Wilkinson’s family at this time. https://t.co/aUbdagfkd0
— Neil Parrott (R-MD) (@neilparrott) October 20, 2023
According to the Maryland Government website, Wilkinson has been a judge with the 4th Judicial Circuit since January 2020. He was born in Agana, Guam in 1971 and later attended the University of North Carolina before getting his law degree at Emory University. He was an Assistant Washington County Attorney from 2006 to 2012, and a member of the Character Committee of the State Board of Law Examiners from 2006 to 2019. The site adds that Wilkinson was active in youth soccer and baseball.
