The lawyer for quadruple amputee Dayton James Webber claims that the professional cornhole player’s fatal shooting last month of motocross rider Bradrick Michael Wells was an act of self-preservation.
Webber, 27, appeared in a Maryland court on Wednesday, April 1, via video conference, and a judge ordered he be held without bail.
Wells was the front-seat passenger in Webber’s car on March 22 when the two men started to argue. With two witnesses sitting in the back of the moving vehicle, Webber shot Wells, who was also 27. When Webber stopped his vehicle, the two other passengers exited, and refused when he sought their help removing Wells’ body from the car.
Webber drove into Virginia, where he allegedly pulled Wells out of his car, dumping him in someone’s front yard.
Webber was extradited back to Maryland, where he’s been charged with first- and second-degree murder.
He has entered no pleas to the charges, including assault and firearm offenses, and has a preliminary hearing set for May 6.
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Lawyer Andrew Jezic told the court he expects “a lengthy trial” will prove Webber feared for his life.
After the hearing, Jezic spoke with reporters, and said his client was “terrified” when he fatally shot Wells.
“The truth here is that he would have been a murder victim if he had not acted immediately in defense of his life,” proclaimed Jezic.
Wells died from being shot twice in the head during the argument.
Prosecutors said the argument revolved around a gun that a friend of Wells had stolen from Webber. According to state investigators, Wells maintaining a friendship with the crook was a point of contention for Webber.
Bail was denied for Webber after prosecutors pointed out that he had fled to Virginia after the shooting and owns guns.
After the killing, detectives tracked Webber’s car to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he had checked himself into a hospital “seeking treatment for a medical issue.”
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Webber was only 10 months old when he underwent a quadruple amputation of his limbs after a blood infection. Today, he’s a player in the professional American Cornhole League, which has had a contract with ESPN since 2016.
His story was featured during a segment on NBC’s Today show in 2023.
“People often underestimate me when they see me — no matter the context,” he said to Today. “As doctors rushed to save my life, they realized they needed to amputate my arms and legs to slow the infection. They told my parents there was only a 3% chance that I’d survive. For four months in the hospital, I fought and eventually overcame the infection. I learned how to do things, such as writing, on my own. I even taught myself how to drive by racing go-karts.”
Added Webber: “When I play cornhole, I rely on a hoverboard to navigate the arena, shunning the prosthetics outside of competition, too. I do sometimes use a wheelchair, such as when I go hunting or fishing. This chair has tracks like a tank so I can maneuver it on uneven terrain. I can take it in the snow, through creeks and up hills.”
