Prosecutors say the case now belongs in circuit court after a fatal March 22 shooting and the discovery of a body in a Charlotte Hall yard.

LA PLATA, Md. — A Charles County grand jury has indicted Dayton James Webber, a 27-year-old professional cornhole player, on a first-degree murder charge in the fatal shooting of Bradrick Michael Wells, whose body investigators say was later left in a yard along a Southern Maryland road.

Monday’s indictment pushed the case beyond its first weeks of arrest warrants, extradition and bail arguments and into circuit court, where trial scheduling will now follow. Prosecutors say witness statements and other evidence show no basis for self-defense. Webber’s lawyers say the shooting happened during a life-or-death confrontation inside his vehicle and insist the state has charged the wrong man with murder.

The case began late on March 22, when investigators say Webber was driving in the La Plata area with Wells in the front passenger seat and two other passengers in the back. Authorities say an argument broke out while the group was in the vehicle, and Webber shot Wells during that dispute. Court proceedings later described Wells as having been seated beside the driver when the shooting happened. According to charging documents, Webber then pulled over and asked the backseat passengers to help move Wells from the vehicle. They refused, got out and flagged down police near 10:30 p.m. Deputies began searching the area while Webber drove away. Nearly two hours later, a resident in the 10000 block of Newport Church Road in Charlotte Hall called 911 after finding a body in a yard. Officers identified the victim as Wells, 27, of Waldorf, and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Investigators tracked Webber’s vehicle to Charlottesville, Virginia, and found him at a hospital where he was receiving treatment for what authorities described only as a medical issue. He was arrested after his release and initially held there as a fugitive from justice. By March 31, he had been returned to Charles County and booked into the local detention center, where officials said accommodations would be made for his medical and mobility needs. At an April 1 bail hearing, Judge Patrick Devine ordered Webber held without bond. Defense attorney Andrew Jezic told the court Webber was “terrified” and acted to save his own life. Prosecutors answered that the basic question of who fired was not in dispute. Deputy State’s Attorney Karen Piper Mitchell said both sides agree Webber shot Wells, but not why. She told reporters this week that, based on the investigation so far, the state sees “no evidence of self-defense.”

The indictment announced Monday added another layer of detail to the charges. Prosecutors said the grand jury approved the indictment April 10, moving the matter from district court into Charles County Circuit Court. In addition to first-degree murder, the six-count indictment includes use of a firearm in a violent crime, two counts of reckless endangerment and two counts related to possessing a loaded handgun in a vehicle. Prosecutors have said the murder count alone carries a potential sentence of life in prison if Webber is convicted. They also said evidence recovered in Virginia has been preserved and is being processed. Investigators have not publicly explained whether any in-car camera systems captured what happened or whether any automated driving features were active at the time of the shooting. That leaves witness accounts, physical evidence and forensic work at the center of the case as it heads deeper into court.

The legal fight is developing alongside unusual public attention surrounding Webber’s identity. He became known nationally as a quadruple amputee athlete who competed in the American Cornhole League after losing his arms and legs as a baby during a life-threatening blood infection. His story had been featured in sports and television coverage as an example of athletic persistence and independence. Now prosecutors are trying to keep the focus on the homicide itself. Mitchell said Monday that the attention around Webber’s disability does not change the core issue before the court. “At the end of the day, we are dealing with a homicide,” she said. Wells’ death, not Webber’s public profile, is what will define the trial record. At the same time, defense lawyers have pointed to Webber’s life history in asking the court to consider the pressures and limitations he faces in custody.

Outside court, the case has left a divided public record. The American Cornhole League said after Webber’s arrest that the allegations were extremely serious and that its thoughts were with everyone affected, including Wells’ loved ones. Wells’ mother has publicly rejected the defense account and said her son trusted Webber. Prosecutors, for their part, have emphasized the route the case allegedly took after the shooting: from a moving vehicle in La Plata, to a stop where passengers refused to help remove the body, to a yard in Charlotte Hall where a homeowner discovered the remains. That sequence has become one of the most striking elements in a case already shaped by questions of motive, witness credibility and whether the self-defense claim can survive the evidence gathered so far.

The case now stands in circuit court, with Webber jailed without bond and future trial dates still to be set after the indictment approved April 10 and announced April 13.

Author note: Last updated April 14, 2026.