A Florida man will face trial accused of kidnapping and murdering a woman from the United Kingdom who traveled to the United States to meet him after maintaining contact for two years through a fetish website, according to court documents.
The defendant, Dwain Hall, 54, of Ocala, faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder and kidnapping in the death of Sonia Exelby, originally from Portsmouth, England. The trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 5 in Marion County, according to Fox News.
The victim was reported missing after not returning to the United Kingdom
Exelby was reported missing in October 2025 by her relatives, after she did not board the flight back to England scheduled for October 13.
The investigation determined that the young woman had traveled to Florida on October 10 and that Hall picked her up at the Gainesville Regional Airport to transfer her to an Airbnb-type accommodation in Reddick, about 40 minutes south.
According to the investigation, before picking it up, Hall purchased gun cleaner, 50 feet of rope, spray deodorant, and nylon cord at a Walmart store and later returned to purchase a shovel.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, Hall and Exelby began communicating in 2023 through a website specialized in fetishes, where they exchanged conversations about bondage, suicide and the young woman's desire for someone to end her life.
Investigators say Hall, who described himself as a sadist, even referred to his relationship with Exelby as a “mentoring” process.
Court documents also note that the victim suffered from mental health problems and that in 2024 British authorities thwarted a previous attempt to travel to meet people who would allegedly agree to kill her.
The messages show that the young woman wanted to abandon the plan
One of the main elements of the investigation are messages that Exelby sent to a friend through Discord on October 11, a day after arriving in Florida.
According to investigators, the young woman stated that she regretted having traveled and expressed fear about what was happening.
In those messages she claimed that Hall kept her locked up, that he had taken her phone away and that he had forced her to record several exculpatory videos and write a letter to her family.
She also wrote that she was afraid and that she was “broken” and in pain.
The Prosecutor's Office maintains that these conversations show that the victim tried to retract the agreement that he had allegedly reached with Hall.
Hall would have used the victim's bank card
That same October 11, the bank account of the roadside assistance business run by Hall made seven consecutive charges to Exelby's debit card, according to the investigation.
The transactions helped agents identify the suspect after the young woman's family reported her missing.
Hall reportedly attempted to get $4,000, but only managed to load about $1,200 before the card was declined multiple times.
Body found in shallow grave
On October 17, authorities located Exelby's body buried in a shallow grave in a wooded area of Marion County.
The autopsy determined that the victim had four stab wounds on the side of his body.
The researchers indicated that, among the first layers of soil in the grave, they found the label corresponding to the shovel acquired by Hall days before.
That same day, officers stopped the defendant while he was driving on Interstate 75.
According to court documents, before being arrested Hall sent a package to a friend via a courier service and asked him to keep it for several months.
When investigators recovered the package they found, among other items, a seven-inch steel knife designed to pierce and stab.
DNA tests carried out later determined that the blood found on the weapon corresponded to Sonia Exelby.
A video recovered by investigators will be presented at trial
Investigators also managed to recover a video that Hall had deleted just seconds after recording it.
The recording, lasting just over four minutes, shows Exelby with visible bruises and a disheveled appearance inside the accommodation where he stayed.
According to the affidavit, Hall directs the girl's responses while questioning her about the reasons she traveled to Florida and how she wanted to die.
Investigators maintain that the victim appears visibly affected, with tears in her eyes and responding with obvious hesitation to the accused's questions.
Hall initially denied knowing Exelby, although he later acknowledged recording a video of her, according to the investigation.
He currently remains in custody at the Marion County Jail and faces six felony charges. If convicted of first-degree murder, he could face the death penalty.
So far, his legal representative has not issued public statements about the case.
