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Family of woman who 'flew to US to be murdered by a man she met on fetish website' make new claim
The family of a British woman found murdered in the US have released a new disturbing claim after she was allegedly killed by a man she met on a fetish website.
Sonia Exelby was discovered in a shallow grave in Florida on October 17 last year, days after traveling around 4,000 miles from the UK to allegedly meet Dwain Hall, 54.
Exelby was groomed, claim relatives
The pair had initially connected through a fetish website, with early findings from the police investigation suggesting Exelby had paid Hall to kill her, with Hall, who denies the charges against him, due to stand trial for murder next month.
In the days leading up to her death, the music tutor, who had struggled with depression and body dysmorphia, traveled from Portsmouth to Marion County to meet Hall, and police previously said she had “left evidence on her computer indicating that she was again suicidal”.
However, her relatives have now alleged that Hall groomed her over a two-year period, claiming he knew she was vulnerable, as well as raising concerns about the website where the pair first came into contact.
A medical examiner determined that Exelby had suffered four stab wounds, after her body was found in woodland close to a highway, while Hall, a father-of-two, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping.
He had previously been taken into custody over allegations of fraudulent credit card use and the unlawful use of a two-way communication device, in connection with Exelby.
Exelby's five siblings are determined to attend the proceedings, but some of their relatives, including partners and nieces, are struggling to afford the journey to Florida, with her eldest sister, Gemma Isaj, launching a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the family's travel costs.
Speaking to The Times, she claimed: “We all have to be there to tell Sonia's story. This is about mental health [but also] there are websites and a bigger movement.”
Isaj also claimed that an Airbnb booking in Florida was canceled after the family explained why they required accommodation.
Exelby’s brother Luke Wilton, 47, said his sister had previously spoken about wanting to protect other women from similar experiences.
“When Sonia first raised this, she was saying she had to protect others, by gathering evidence and talking with them, taking them down,” he explained.
He added: “She had a purpose to stop this from happening to others. She told us she lost friends [this way] — she wanted to shine awareness on what was happening to people.”
Authorities release information about her death
According to her siblings, Exelby had claimed to have discovered a group of American men who were murdering vulnerable women, having allegedly told her family she intended to travel to the US to expose their crimes.
Her relatives also said that, after arriving in Florida, Exelby sent messages to friends asking for help, with the case attracting further attention in August when footage emerged of a US police officer guarding the scene where her body was discovered, referring to her as a “crazy freaking lady".
In bodycam footage, the officer was speaking to his mother over the phone after she called to wish him a happy birthday while he was protecting the crime scene.
“We've got FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] here, we've got Interpol here, we've got all kinds of people here,” he told her.
When his mother asked what unfolded, he replied: “This crazy freakin' lady from the UK was talking to this dude online from Marion Oaks.
“She told him all her sexual fantasies, and he was like, 'I could facilitate that.' And she was like, 'At the end of it I wanna be killed.' And he facilitated that too.
“It's an international thing because she's from UK. I guess he was using her credit cards afterwards and stuff too.”
In the weeks following Exelby's death, police also revealed that she had recorded a video describing how she wanted to die in graphic detail.
The footage reportedly showed her sitting on a chair, appearing disheveled and with multiple bruises across her face, neck, and breasts, with Hall allegedly torturing her and later telling police he used the username “alphasadist” on fetish websites.
In the recording, he can be heard asking her why she had traveled to the US. Tearfully, she replied: “Because I am an awful person. I've crushed everyone who ever loves me.”
Exelby, who described herself as a content creator, went on to explain why she believed herself to be an awful person before Hall asked her how she wanted to die and told her to describe it, and while she initially refused to answer, she eventually stated that she wanted “to be stabbed”.