LA PLATA, Md. — Dayton Webber, the quadruple amputee cornhole player facing murder charges, intends to argue that he acted in self-defense when he shot a passenger in his vehicle last week, his attorneys indicated in a court hearing Wednesday.
Webber, a former pro in the American Cornhole League, has been accused of shooting Brad Wells while they were traveling in Webber’s vehicle outside La Plata, Maryland, on March 22. The two had a verbal argument before the shooting, the other passengers in the vehicle told police. Webber’s attorneys argued it was “a clear-cut case of self-defense.”
“Dayton Webber is not guilty,” said Hammad S. Matin, one of his attorneys. “Dayton was terrified of being killed. Dayton knew that he had to shoot or be killed.”
Webber’s attorneys brought up the notion of self-defense at a bond hearing for their client in Charles County District Court — the first since Webber was extradited from Virginia earlier this week. He appeared remotely, wearing an orange jumpsuit as he was shown on a video monitor in the courtroom.
Though Matin argued that Webber would not be a flight risk and did not pose a risk to the community, Charles County District Court Judge Patrick Divine ultimately sided with the state prosecutor, Karen Piper Mitchell, and ordered that he continue to be held without bond.
Piper Mitchell noted that Webber could be a flight risk because he was arrested across state lines in Charlottesville, Virginia, after allegedly shooting Wells in Maryland. She added that he owns multiple weapons and has been known to fire them from a second-story window in his home.
“He remains a danger,” Piper Mitchell said during the hearing.
Piper Mitchell demurred when asked in a news conference outside the courthouse about the self-defense claims.
“Defense has to represent their client in the best way they can,” she said.
The hearing brought forward new details about a case that has generated national headlines over the past week.
Piper Mitchell told the court that Webber and Wells had been “arguing for some time” before the alleged shooting, and the argument revolved around Wells’ continued friendship with a person Webber believed had stolen guns from him.
She said police found a gun in the car consistent with the murder weapon as well as a box matching the weapon at Webber’s house. Webber’s attorneys did not address the discovery of the weapon during the bond hearing but said their client is a legal gun owner and had a concealed carry permit.
Both Piper Mitchell and Webber’s attorneys referenced an argument between Webber and Wells in 2024, when Webber allegedly ordered Wells to leave his property. Piper Mitchell said Webber is reported to have fired a gunshot in Wells’ direction as he left. Webber’s attorneys said their client fired a gunshot in the air. No charges were filed.
Webber’s attorneys said Wells had threatened Webber at the time and had “a history of violence.” Anita Stewart Murchison, Wells’ mother, questioned the attorneys’ claims and told ESPN that Wells wasn’t a violent person, describing him as mild-mannered and shy. She said she was “relieved” about the judge’s ruling.
The two passengers in the backseat of the car during the shooting told police that Webber had asked them to move Wells’ body out of the car, but they declined and fled. Asked about this claim, Webber’s attorneys said there was “no evidence” that the witnesses were asked to “alter evidence, to lie, to cover anything up.”
Piper Mitchell said the police investigation is ongoing and that the state’s attorney office would not identify the passengers by name at this stage.
Wells’ body was found in the yard of a house about 10 miles away from where police believe the shooting occurred, while Webber was located at a hospital in Charlottesville. Matin said in court that Webber called him from the hospital, where he was suffering from anxiety and having a panic attack.
Police found Webber’s white Tesla at a gas station next door, and Piper Mitchell said the vehicle had only enough battery remaining to travel 40 miles.
Police have obtained a search warrant for the car’s thumb drive to “preserve any video evidence” of the alleged crimes caught on the Tesla’s multiple exterior cameras, according to Virginia court records. They also examined Webber’s clothing and took DNA swabs from his arms, according to a copy of the search warrant obtained by ESPN.
Webber, 27, is a lifelong resident of La Plata who listed his occupation in court records as “motivational speaker.”
In a 2023 profile, Webber’s parents told ESPN that his arms and legs were amputated when he was 10 months old to save his life after he contracted a blood infection that led to sepsis. He went on to become a professional cornhole player for at least two years and was crowned Maryland’s best cornhole player in 2020. He last appeared in the ACL rankings in the 2023-24 season.
In a statement Tuesday, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged Webber’s “specific medical and mobility needs” as a quadruple amputee. Piper Mitchell said the Charles County Detention Center already has accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and that Webber could make additional requests if needed.
Webber’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 6.