A Stockton man who authorities said killed his girlfriend and stuffed her body in a suitcase before fleeing with their infant child has been convicted of murder, the San Joaquin County district attorney’s office announced.
Dangelo Dijon Webb, 27, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2021 death of Brandi Hornsby, who was strangled and stabbed more than 30 times. Webb also was convicted of child endangerment after he ran away with the couple’s 6-week-old baby.
Hornsby’s body was discovered Oct. 4, 2021, after her mother, Tonya Wilkerson, went to her Stockton home to check on her after not hearing from the her for several days. Only after she broke a window to get in, did Webb open the door and allow Wilkerson inside. While she was searching for her daughter, Webb attacked the woman, choking her until she was unconscious and stabbing her multiple times in the neck, the D.A.’s office said.
During the attack, Hornsby’s brother arrived and saw what was happening. He broke down the front door and confronted Webb, who was armed with a knife, authorities said.
Webb then grabbed the baby and fled in Wilkerson’s car. The child was located several hours later after an Amber Alert was issued. Webb was apprehended later in the week after a standoff with law enforcement in the Bay Area, according to news reports at the time.
Authorities determined that Hornsby, 24, had been dead at least three days before her mother came looking for her. Her remains were found inside a suitcase in the kitchen. Authorities said Webb planned to bury her body.
During that time, the couple’s infant child had been neglected and left alone on a sofa in the home, resulting in Webb’s conviction on the child endangerment charge.
Hornsby’s mother survived Webb’s attack.
“This case is a chilling reminder of the evil some are capable of, but it is also a testament to the courage of Brandi’s family,” District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement Tuesday.
No sentencing date has been scheduled for Webb, whose first name also appears as D’angelo in some court filings.