The quadriplegic former professional cornhole player charged with murder after fatally shooting a passenger in his car was involved in a “clear-cut case of self-defense,” according to his attorneys.
The defense team for Dayton Webber argued that he opened fire on Bradrick Michael Wells last month in La Plata, Maryland, because he feared for his life.
“Dayton Webber is not guilty,” said Andrew Jezic, one of Mr. Webber’s lawyers, during Wednesday’s bond hearing in Charles County. “He was 100% justified in defending his life from an immediate lethal threat. Dayton was terrified of being killed. Dayton knew that he had to shoot or be killed.”
Jezic added, “Dayton has overcome a ton of adversity in his life, and he will do so again in this case by focusing on the truth. The truth here is he would have been a murder victim had he not acted immediately in defense of his life.”
Mr. Webber faces murder charges in the killing of his longtime friend Mr. Wells.
What kind of threat Mr. Wells presented to Mr. Webber, a former pro in the American Cornhole League who had both his arms and legs amputated as an infant, was unclear.
But prosecutors did not outright reject those claims to the media afterward.
“Defense has to represent their client in the best way they can,” state prosecutor Karen Piper Mitchell said in a post-hearing press conference.
Charles County District Court Judge Patrick Devine ordered Mr. Webber, 27, kept behind bars after his initial appearance in Maryland.
Charging documents said Mr. Webber fled to Charlottesville, Virginia, after he shot and killed Mr. Wells on March 22.
Police said the killing happened late that night when the two were arguing inside Mr. Webber’s Tesla.
Prosecutors said Mr. Webber was arguing with Mr. Wells about why the victim was still a friend with someone whom the defendant believed had stolen guns from him.
Eventually, prosecutors said Mr. Webber pulled out a gun and shot Mr. Wells in the head. Investigators found a gun in the car that is consistent with the murder weapon.
The filing said Mr. Webber then asked his two other friends in the backseat to help him remove the victim’s body from the car.
The two witnesses refused and got out of the Tesla, the documents said. They flagged down police shortly afterward.
Officers later found Mr. Wells’ body in Charlotte Hall, Maryland.
Authorities arrested Mr. Webber at a Virginia hospital that he had checked himself into, and he has since been extradited back to Maryland.
Prosecutors and the defense team also referenced a 2024 argument between the friends that saw a gun enter the equation.
Mr. Webber told Mr. Wells to get off his property during the spat, and Mr. Webber pulled out a gun and fired it during the confrontation.
Prosecutors said the defendant fired in the direction of his friend, while the defense team said Mr. Webber shot in the air. No charges were filed in the incident.
Social media videos show Mr. Webber capably handling pistols and rifles. Prosecutors said the defendant is known to fire weapons from the second-story window of his Maryland home.
Mr. Webber had his arms and legs removed as a baby because of a severe blood infection. The defendant said doctors gave him a 3% chance of surviving from the infection.
