A woman from the UK who reportedly traveled to the United States with the desire to be murdered by a man she met on a fetish website had previously made attempts to arrange her own killing, recent revelations have shown.
Sonia Exelby, a 32-year-old resident of Portsmouth, was discovered in a shallow grave in Marion County, Florida, after allegedly planning to be killed by Dwain Hall, whom she had encountered on an online fetish chatroom. Hall was subsequently apprehended and charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder, being denied bail earlier this week.
The 53-year-old father of two is accused of subjecting Sonia to sexual abuse and torture before allegedly killing her at a remote Airbnb where they were lodging. The sequence of events leading up to her tragic demise has been outlined by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
It has been disclosed that Sonia and Hall first connected on a fetish website two years prior to her death. Reports indicate that Ms. Exelby, who was dealing with mental health issues, had expressed a desire to be abused, a request that Hall purportedly fulfilled. Hall claimed that Sonia had suicidal tendencies and wished to be killed, asserting that he was acting as a mentor trying to assist her.
In a disturbing turn of events, it was revealed that Sonia had previously attempted to travel to the US in 2024 to be violently killed by an individual she had met online. This effort was prevented, and she underwent mental health treatment in the UK.
Sonia arrived in Florida on October 10, 2025, where Hall picked her up from the airport and transported her to an Airbnb in Reddick, Marion County. Allegedly, at this location, Hall engaged in sexual activity with her, inflicted torture, and filmed several videos that were subsequently deleted.
One of the recovered videos depicted a visibly distressed Sonia with bruises on her face, neck, and breasts. In the footage, Hall can be heard questioning Sonia about her presence in the US, to which she responded with self-deprecating remarks. The video also captured Sonia expressing a desire to be stabbed, to which Hall seemingly acquiesced.
Concerned by Sonia’s absence, her family, including her boyfriend Steve Hunt, reported her missing when she failed to return from her trip. Tragically, Sonia’s body was discovered in a shallow grave in Marion County, showing signs of fatal stab wounds.
Detectives uncovered incriminating evidence, including a shovel with Sonia’s DNA in Hall’s garage and a knife with traces of her blood and DNA, leading to Hall’s arrest for kidnapping and first-degree murder. A judge denied Hall bond due to the substantial evidence against him, emphasizing the seriousness of the case.
Judge Laurie Cotton emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that there was no bond amount that could guarantee Hall’s appearance in court or ensure community safety given the compelling evidence against him.