Dayton Webber, a 27-year-old quadruple amputee and professional cornhole player, has been denied bail after being charged with the murder of Bradrick Michael Wells. The shooting occurred on 22 March in Maryland, following an argument inside Webber's Tesla. Webber appeared in Charles County district court via videoconference on Wednesday, where Judge Patrick Devine ordered him to remain jailed without bond.
Webber, who was extradited from Virginia, faces charges of murder, assault, and firearm offences. He has not yet entered a plea and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on 6 May. His defence attorney, Andrew Jezic, argued that Webber acted in self-defence, stating that his client was 'terrified' at the time of the incident. 'The truth here is that [Webber] would have been a murder victim if he had not acted immediately in defence of his life,' Jezic told reporters.
According to police charging documents, the argument was over a gun that a friend of Wells had stolen from Webber. Deputy state's attorney Karen Piper Mitchell said witnesses reported that Webber was upset Wells remained friends with the thief. She also noted a history of conflict, including a 2024 incident where Webber allegedly fired a shot from a second-floor window as Wells was leaving his home. Jezic claimed Webber fired into the air.
After the shooting, Webber pulled over in La Plata, Maryland, and asked two backseat passengers to help remove the victim from the car. They refused, exited the vehicle, and flagged down police. Webber then fled with Wells still in the car. Two hours later, a resident in Charlotte Hall, about 10 miles away, discovered Wells's body in a yard. Detectives tracked Webber's car to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he was found at a hospital seeking treatment for a medical issue.
Webber, who lost parts of his arms and legs at 10 months old due to a serious blood infection, was featured by ESPN in 2023 as an inspirational story. He also wrote an essay for the Today show about becoming a professional cornhole player, describing how he adapted to throw the bean bags. A YouTube video from 2024 shows Webber loading and firing a handgun.
