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Who was Sonia Exelby? Suicidal UK woman seeking violent death in US beaten, killed by Florida man
Dwain Hall was arrested after allegedly beating and murdering 32-year-old UK woman Sonia Exelby, who had traveled to Florida with the intent of being killed.
A Florida man has been arrested after allegedly beating and murdering a suicidal woman from the United Kingdom. The woman, 32-year-old Sonia Exelby, had visited the suspect, Dwain Hall, with the intent of being killed, the New York Post reported.
Exelby was found dead in a shallow grave deep in the woods in Marion County, Florida, on October 17, a week after she arrived in the United States, according to WCJB.
Exelby missed her return flight to Portsmouth, England, on October 13. The same day, UK authorities reported her disappearance to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Who was Sonia Exelby?
Exelby’s longtime partner, Stevie, said in an Instagram post after her disappearance that she was “struggling deeply” with her mental health. “We believe she has arranged to meet someone there and has got herself into an extremely vulnerable situation. Thats all I can really say on that,” Stevie wrote.
“I need her back soo bad. Im lost without her and our cat Meryl just wants her mum back for the best cuddles,” he added.
UK officials told Florida law enforcement that they believed Exelby had traveled to Florida with the intent to meet people who would give her a violent death. This led authorities to Hall, 53, who had met Exelby on a fetish website around two years ago. Police reports obtained by WCJB showed that Hall called himself Exelby’s “mentor” and claimed he wanted to “help” her.
Hall picked Exelby up at the Gainesville Regional Airport on October10. He then took her to an Airbnb on Northwest 122nd Terrace in Reddick, Florida. The two stayed there for an unspecified period, during which Hall had sex with Exelby several times. He even recorded a video that he said he later deleted, according to police.
Police, however, managed to recover the video. It showed Exelby covered in bruises. When Hall asked her why she was there. She responded that it was “because I’m an awful person,” and that she “crushed everyone who ever loves me.”
Hall then asked Exelby to consent to be harmed. Detectives said that Exelby nodded affirmatively in the video, but appeared “hesitant” and “visibly upset.”
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Exelby messaged a friend over Discord on October 11, a day after landing in Florida, saying she was having doubts. “He made it clear there was no way out unless I shoot him. I was questioning it last night… I thought he’d do it quick and not give my mind time to stew,” Exelby wrote of Hall.
According to investigators, Exelby’s plea “showed that Hall was controlling her, that she was afraid, and had made a mistake.”
Authorities who discovered Exelby’s body found the label for a shovel that matched a brand Hall purchased before heading to the airport on October 10. The same shovel was found in Hall’s garage with Exelby’s DNA on it.
Hall later mailed a package to a friend in Ohio, containing a knife that tested positive for blood. According to an autopsy, Exelby was stabbed to death with a knife. She was stabbed as many as four times.
On October 18, Hall was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, credit card fraud and unlawful use of a communication device, records from the Marion County Jail showed. He is now being held without bond. Hall has court hearings scheduled for his two lesser charges on November 18.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
