A Stockton man who strangled and stabbed a young mother more than 30 times before stuffing her body into a suitcase in her own kitchen has been sentenced to what regional outlets report as 174 years to life in state prison. D’Angelo Dijon Webb, now facing the harshest possible term for the October 2021 killing of 24-year-old Brandi Hornsby, also nearly killed her mother, Tonya, during the same rampage before fleeing with his six-week-old daughter and triggering a regional Amber Alert.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office, in a statement announcing the sentence, said the term would keep Webb in prison for the rest of his life. According to the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office, District Attorney Ron Freitas called the crime “a horrific and calculated act of violence that killed a young mother and left her family in pain.” The office's own release described the total sentence as 74 years to life, while regional outlets including ABC10 and Stocktonia reported the figure as 174 years to life — a discrepancy that has not been publicly reconciled and that reporters have flagged for verification against the court's final commitment papers.
A Mother's Desperate Search Leads to a Bloody Scene
The murder unfolded at a residence in the 3900 block of East Fremont Street in Stockton, according to SFGATE. Hornsby had last been in contact with her sister on September 30, 2021, and family members spent the following days trying unsuccessfully to reach her, per the district attorney's account. When Tonya could not get through to her daughter, she went to the home with her son and eventually climbed through a bedroom window to check on her.
Once inside, Tonya was confronted by Webb, who attacked her with a knife, stabbing her repeatedly in the neck and in the garage, the station's report on the case states. Webb also stomped on Tonya's head during the assault, leaving her with multiple stab wounds and significant injuries. Hornsby's brother witnessed part of the attack and, according to the district attorney's office, Webb approached him while still holding the knife before opening the residence door and fleeing.
Infant Left Crying Before Amber Alert Manhunt
Hornsby's body was ultimately found inside a suitcase in the kitchen, and the district attorney's office says her six-week-old daughter, Ggiana, was found lying on a couch crying nearby. Investigators determined Hornsby had been strangled and stabbed, a combination of injuries that caused her death, the office said. Court proceedings later revealed the full brutality of the attack, with Stocktonia reporting that Hornsby was stabbed more than 30 times.
Webb fled the residence in Tonya's stolen 2015 Chevrolet Equinox, grabbing his infant daughter as he escaped, according to the district attorney's office. His flight with the baby set off a regional Amber Alert, and Freitas said Webb endangered his own child in the process. The girl was later left unharmed at Webb's mother's home, per CBS News.
Four-Day Manhunt Ends in Bay Point Standoff
Webb evaded law enforcement for four days before a community tip led deputies on October 9, 2021, to a home on Ambrose Avenue in Bay Point, according to SFGATE. He was located at a family residence and surrendered after a five-hour standoff with negotiation teams, as reported by ABC10. He was arrested after fleeing the area, the district attorney's office said.
Both Hornsby and Webb were 24 years old at the time of the killing and arrest, per CBS News, and Webb was the father of Hornsby's infant daughter. A San Joaquin County jury convicted Webb on November 22, 2024, of first-degree murder with use of a knife, attempted murder with use of a knife, corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant with use of a knife and great bodily injury, unlawful taking or driving of a vehicle, and child endangerment, according to the district attorney's office.
Judge, Prosecutor Praised for Handling Five-Year Case
The trial was held before San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Charlotte Orcutt, with Deputy District Attorney Janet Smith leading the prosecution, according to Stocktonia. Freitas commended Smith for her successful prosecution of the case, the district attorney's office said, closing out a legal process that stretched from Webb's 2021 arrest to his conviction three years later and his sentencing this week.
The case lands amid a broader pattern of domestic violence in San Joaquin County. Law enforcement agencies across the county received 4,035 domestic violence-related calls for assistance in 2023, according to California Department of Justice crime statistics compiled by Kidsdata.org. The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office maintains a dedicated Domestic Violence Unit that follows a strict no-drop prosecution approach, pursuing violent domestic cases with 911 tapes and body-camera evidence even when victims or family members ask that charges be dismissed, according to the Nieves Law Firm.
