When Albemarle County detectives charged quadruple amputee and professional cornhole player Dayton James Webber with the shooting death of 29-year-old Brad Wells, headlines focused on the unlikely image of a limbless suspect accused of firing a handgun, dumping a body, and fleeing two states. Yet for Tori Mattingly, the woman who shared four turbulent years with Webber, the news felt grimly predictable.
“I didn’t think he would kill, but I’m not shocked,” Mattingly told reporters in her first on-camera interview since the arrest. She described a boyfriend whose charm could pivot in seconds to screaming fits, threats, and intimidation—behavior she says she documented on her phone months before their February 2025 breakup.
From Viral Athlete to Murder Suspect
Webber, 27, rose to niche fame after viral clips showed him tossing beanbags with uncanny accuracy using prosthetic hooks. Sponsors, television spots, and a growing Instagram following turned the Maryland native into the feel-good face of adaptive sports. Behind the scenes, however, Mattingly says the same arms that helped him earn tournament checks were often clenched in anger.
According to police, Webber shot Wells—Mattingly’s subsequent boyfriend—during an argument while driving through rural Virginia on the night of May 3. Investigators believe Webber then dragged the body from the passenger seat, left it near a wooded turnout, and drove south. A witness who told police she saw the muzzle flash from the driver’s side provided a license-plate number that tracked to Webber’s rented sedan. U.S. Marshals arrested him 36 hours later at a Richmond-area motel.
“He Didn’t Want Help,” Ex Says
Mattingly says the red flags appeared early. She recalls Webber berating fast-food workers when orders ran slow, punching walls after cornhole losses, and once threatening to “run over” a neighbor who complained about loud music. In October 2024 she filmed him yelling because she refused to hand over her car keys after he had been drinking. The video, reviewed by local media, shows Webber shouting, “You’re going to regret this,” while using a shoulder to slam a kitchen table.
“I begged him to see a therapist,” Mattingly said. “He told me therapy was for weak people and that he could handle his own mind.” She finally ended the relationship after Webber, she alleges, grabbed her wrist so hard with a prosthetic clamp that it left bruises. Webber has not been charged in connection with that incident, and his public defender declined to comment on the allegations.
Overlapping Relationships and Rising Tensions
Court records and interviews sketch a complicated triangle. Mattingly says she and Wells—an HVAC technician and part-time cornhole tournament scorekeeper—began dating casually in March 2025, one month after her split from Webber. All three moved in the same mid-Atlantic cornhole circuit, crossing paths at weekend events.
Mattingly insists there was no romantic overlap, but Webber knew about her new relationship and, she claims, sent Wells a string of hostile Instagram messages in April. Investigators have subpoenaed those direct messages; prosecutors have not yet said whether they mention a motive for the shooting.
The night of the killing, Wells had reportedly agreed to catch a ride with Webber from a tournament in Frederick, Maryland, back to Wells’s home in North Carolina. Somewhere along Interstate 64, police say, the drive turned deadly.
Inside the Manhunt
After the body was discovered, Virginia troopers issued a regional be-on-the-lookout alert. Surveillance footage from a gas station 40 miles south of the crime scene shows Webber using hooks to pump fuel and pay inside. A clerk who recognized him from news alerts stalled him by asking for a selfie; Webber obliged, giving deputies a fresh timestamp on his route. He was arrested without incident the next morning.
Authorities recovered a 9 mm Glock in the motel room, according to an inventory list filed in court. Ballistics tests are pending.
Life Behind Bars—and Online
Jail logs show Webber is being held in an accessible cell with modified door handles and a shower bench. He has been allowed to keep prosthetics, and officers have provided foam grips so he can sign paperwork. The accommodations have stirred social-media debate, but corrections officials note that federal disability law requires “reasonable” access, not luxury.
Meanwhile, clips of Webber firing a crossbow and climbing a hunting ladder with a rifle strapped to his torso—videos posted before the arrest—have racked up millions of views. Critics argue the footage now feels menacing; supporters say it proves nothing except his determination to live actively. Either way, the posts are helping prosecutors piece together a timeline of his gun use.
What Happens Next
Webber is charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in a felony, and transporting a corpse. A preliminary hearing is set for next month. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 50 years in prison. His defense team has not indicated whether they will argue self-defense or challenge the eyewitness account.
For Mattingly, the court proceedings will be a test of whether the system
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