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 at a court hearing Wednesday.
Webber, a former professional in the American Cornhole League, is accused of shooting Brad Wells while traveling in Webber’s vehicle on March 22 outside La Plata, Maryland. Other passengers in the vehicle told police that there was a verbal argument between the two before the shooting. Weber’s lawyers argued that it was “a clear case of self-defense.”
“Dayton Webber is not guilty,” said one of his lawyers, Hammad S. Mateen said. “Dayton was afraid of being killed. Dayton knew he had to shoot or be killed.”
Webber’s attorneys raised 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 from a distance wearing an orange jumpsuit as he was shown on a video monitor in the courtroom.
Although Mattin argued that Webber would not be a flight risk and would not pose a threat to the community, Charles County District Court Judge Patrick Devine ultimately sided with the state prosecutor, Karen Piper Mitchell, and ordered that he continue to be held without bond.
Piper Mitchell said Webber may be a flight risk because he was arrested across state lines in Charlottesville, Virginia, after allegedly shooting at Wells in Maryland. She said he had several weapons and was known to fire them from the second floor window of his home.
“He remains a danger,” Piper Mitchell said during the hearing.
Piper Mitchell demurred when asked at a news conference outside the courthouse about claims of self-defense. “The defense has to represent its client in the best possible way,” he said.
The hearing revealed new information about the case that made national headlines last week.
Piper Mitchell told the court that Webber and Wells “had been arguing for some time” before the alleged shooting, and that the argument revolved around Wells’ continued friendship with a man whom Webber believed had stolen guns from him.
He also said that police found a gun matching the murder weapon in the car, as well as a box matching the weapon at Weber’s home. Webber’s attorneys did not talk about the discovery of the weapon during the bond hearing, but said their client is a legal gun owner and has a concealed carry permit.
Attorneys for both Piper Mitchell and Webber cited an argument between Webber and Wells in 2024, when Webber allegedly ordered Wells to leave her property. Piper Mitchell said it was reported that Webber fired a gunshot while driving toward Wells. Weber’s lawyers said their client fired into the air. No charges were filed.
Webber’s attorneys said Wells had threatened Webber at the time and that he “has a history of violence.” Wells’ mother, Anita Stewart Murchison, questioned the lawyers’ claims and told ESPN that Wells was not a violent person, describing him as gentle and shy. He said he was “relieved” by the judge’s decision.
Two passengers sitting in the back seat of the car during the shooting told police that Webber had asked them to get Wells’s body out of the car, but he refused and fled. When asked about this claim, Webber’s lawyers said there was “no evidence” that witnesses were asked to “change evidence, lie, hide anything.”
Piper Mitchell said the police investigation is ongoing and the state’s attorney’s office will not identify the names of the passengers at this stage.
Wells’ body was found in the courtyard of a home about 10 miles from where police believe the shooting occurred, while Weber was at a hospital in Charlottesville. Matin said in court that Webber called him from the hospital, where he was suffering from anxiety and having panic attacks.
Police also found Webber’s white Tesla at a gas station next door, and Piper Mitchell said the vehicle only had enough battery left to travel 40 miles.
So far, police have obtained a search warrant for the thumb drive of Webber’s car to “preserve any video evidence” of alleged crimes captured on the Tesla’s multiple exterior cameras, according to Virginia court records. According to a copy of the search warrant obtained by ESPN, they also examined Webber’s clothing and took DNA swabs from his arms.
Weber, 27, is a lifelong resident of La Plata who lists his occupation as “motivational speaker” in court records.
In 2023 profile, Webber’s parents told ESPN that when he was 10 months old, his arms and legs were amputated to save his life due to a blood infection that caused sepsis. He became a professional cornhole player for at least two years, while being 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 Webber can request additional ones if needed.
Weber’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 6.
