Around midnight on March 22, 2026, a resident at 10115 Newport Church Road in Charlotte Hall, Maryland — a quiet rural stretch of Charles County — stepped outside and found a man's body on the side of the road.
The victim was Bradrick Michael Wells, 27 years old. He had been shot twice in the head.
Within hours, police had a suspect. By March 23, they had him in custody in Charlottesville, Virginia — receiving treatment at a hospital. The alleged shooter: Dayton James Webber, also 27, also from La Plata, Maryland.
In almost any other context, Webber's name would ring a bell only in niche sporting circles. He is a professional cornhole player, a competitor in the American Cornhole League — the sport's top tier organization, which has aired on ESPN since 2016. He is also a quadruple amputee, having lost all four limbs as an infant after a blood infection.
The case is now drawing national attention — not just for its violence, but for the improbable collision of biography it represents: an athlete celebrated for overcoming profound physical limitation, now accused of a calculated killing.
What the Charging Documents Say
According to the statement of charges signed by Det. M. Bigelow of the Charles County Sheriff's Office, the sequence of events began when Webber picked up two witnesses — referred to in court filings as W1 and W2 — from their workplace. Bradrick Wells was already in the vehicle, seated in the front passenger seat.
While driving, an argument broke out between Webber and Wells. According to both witnesses, Webber produced a firearm and shot Wells twice in the head.
Webber then pulled the vehicle over. He allegedly instructed W1 and W2 to remove Wells from the car. They refused. The two witnesses exited the vehicle on their own and flagged down a passing police officer.
Webber drove away with Wells still inside.
At approximately 12:41 a.m. on March 23, the resident on Newport Church Road discovered Wells' body along the roadside. Both witnesses subsequently provided positive identifications of Webber as the shooter and Wells as the victim.
Police located Webber's vehicle in Charlottesville, Virginia. Webber himself was found at a hospital, where he was seeking medical treatment. He was arrested pending extradition to Charles County.
The Charges
Webber was arraigned in the District Court of Maryland for Charles County. He faces the following charges:
- First-Degree Murder — intentional killing with premeditation and malice, related to the death of Bradrick Michael Wells on or about March 22, 2026, at 1015 Newport Church Road, Charlotte Hall, Charles County.
- Second-Degree Murder — charged in the same incident, covering scenarios where intent is present but full premeditation is not alleged.
- First-Degree Assault (two counts) — one count related to an individual identified as Bradwick Webber, a second related to Bradrick Wells.
- Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony — alleged firearm use during the commission of the felony offense.
Maryland's first-degree murder statute (Md. Code, Crim. Law § 2-201) carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, or life imprisonment with parole eligibility at the court's discretion. The use-of-firearm enhancement adds a mandatory minimum on top of any underlying sentence.
The Open Question: How?
Police have noted a significant factual gap in the public record. As of the filing of charges, authorities have not explained how Webber — a quadruple amputee who lost all four limbs in infancy — was able to drive a vehicle and operate a firearm.
"It's early in the investigation, but there's no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in the shooting and that he acted alone," said Diane Richardson of the Charles County Sheriff's Office in a public statement.
However, the question is not as open as it might initially appear. Social media videos that surfaced following the arrest appear to show Webber shooting rifles and 9mm handguns. Adaptive shooting equipment — including prosthetic-compatible grips, forearm mounts, and trigger adaptations — has become increasingly available and is regularly used in competitive shooting sports. The ACL itself notes that the sport's accessibility is a core selling point; beanbag tossing requires only upper body range of motion, which Webber presumably achieved through prosthetics or residual limb adaptation. The specifics of how Webber managed the night's events remain part of the ongoing investigation.
Who Is Dayton Webber?
Webber was born with all four limbs but underwent quadruple amputation as an infant following a severe blood infection — a complication sometimes associated with bacterial sepsis, which can cause peripheral tissue death necessitating amputation. He grew up in La Plata, Maryland, a small city of roughly 9,000 people that serves as the Charles County seat.
At some point, Webber found cornhole — and took it seriously. He became a competitive player in the American Cornhole League, the sport's premier professional organization. The ACL launched in 2005, began televising matches on ESPN in 2016, and has grown into a legitimate spectator sport with a roster of full-time professional players, prize money, and regional tour stops across the country.
ACL Commissioner Stacey Moore, speaking to Fox News Digital just days before Webber's arrest, cited the sport's accessibility as one of its defining characteristics: "That's one of the great things about our sport, how accessible it is, and how we like to say anyone can play, anyone can win, because if you want to put your mind to it, you want to put the time into practice, you can become competitive."
Moore has been advocating for cornhole's inclusion in the Olympic Games.
Webber had, by all accounts, been one of the sport's more compelling human-interest stories: a quadruple amputee who not only competed but did so at a professional level. That narrative is now subsumed by the criminal case.
The Victim
Bradrick Michael Wells was 27 years old — the same age as Webber. Details about Wells' life remain limited in initial court filings. He was present in Webber's vehicle when the argument began, suggesting some prior acquaintance, though the nature of their relationship has not been disclosed by prosecutors or investigators as of this writing.
The circumstances that led to the argument — and what the argument was about — have not been made public.
Charles County, Maryland: Context
Charles County sits roughly 30 miles south of Washington, D.C. It has a population of approximately 175,000 and has undergone significant demographic and economic shifts over the past two decades, transitioning from a rural tobacco-farming county to a D.C. bedroom community with growing suburban density. La Plata, the county seat, retains a small-town character despite its proximity to the capital.
Violent crime in Charles County has remained relatively low compared to adjacent Prince George's County. The county reported 3 homicides in 2022 according to Maryland State Police Uniform Crime Report data — making a murder case of this nature a significant local event regardless of the defendant's identity.
What Happens Next
As of March 23, Webber was in custody in Virginia and awaiting extradition to Charles County, Maryland. Once extradited, he will face a bail review, followed by a preliminary hearing at which prosecutors must demonstrate probable cause to proceed to trial.
Maryland is not a death penalty state — the state abolished capital punishment in 2013. If convicted of first-degree murder, Webber faces a maximum of life without parole.
The ACL has not issued a public statement regarding Webber's status in the league as of publication.
Why This Is a National Story
At face value, a murder charge in a Maryland county doesn't typically draw national coverage. Three things elevate this case:
1. The biographical dissonance. Webber had been, until this week, a story about human resilience — an athlete overcoming significant physical limitation to compete professionally. The accused-murderer version of that story lands with particular force precisely because the prior narrative was so compelling.
2. The mechanics remain unexplained. The question of how a quadruple amputee drove a vehicle and fired a weapon — unaided, according to investigators — is genuinely unresolved. The answer matters to the prosecution's case and has drawn morbid public curiosity.
3. The sport's growing profile. Cornhole has crossed from backyard novelty to televised professional sport over the past decade. The ACL has invested heavily in the narrative that the sport is accessible to everyone. That brand is now attached, however unfairly, to a murder case.
The case is early. Charges are allegations; Webber has not been convicted of anything. The extradition process, bail hearing, and preliminary proceedings lie ahead. Whatever the outcome, the gap between Webber's public story and the crime he is alleged to have committed is wide enough to ensure this case stays in the news cycle for weeks.