Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A Florida man has been arrested after a ‘suicidal’ British woman flew to the US with the alleged intention of being tortured, sexually assaulted, and ‘possibly murdered’, a court has heard.
Concerns were first raised over the whereabouts of Sonia Exelby, from the south coast of England, when she failed to board her return flight at Gainesville Regional Airport on October 13.
That same day, UK police contacted their Florida counterparts through INTERPOL to warn that Exelby was suicidal and wanted to find someone to kill her violently. Just a few days later, the 32-year-old’s remains were found in Marion Oaks, Florida, with four stab wounds.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) officials are investigating the death as an apparent homicide, according to PEOPLE reports.
This week, around a month after her body was discovered, 53-year-old Dwain Hall was arrested in connection with the death by Marion County Sheriff and FDLE officers. Arrested on Monday, Hall now stands accused of sexual abuse, torture and murder.
FDLE announced in a statement they had ‘arrested Dwain Hall, 53, of Ocala, on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the homicide of a missing woman from the United Kingdom’.
Commissioner Mark Glass issued a stern statement in the wake of the alleged crime, saying: “This type of violent crime and disregard for human life will not be tolerated in our state – those who commit such heinous crimes will be held fully accountable.”
Hall’s arrest affidavit, seen by PEOPLE, claims that Exelby was ‘suicidal and traveling to the United States to be sexually abused, tortured, and possibly murdered’, according to documents found on her computer.
British cops also discovered an apparent suicide note, in which the 32-year-old anticipated being ‘mutilated and disabled for the rest of my life’ as a result of meeting her alleged abuser, who she met through a fetish website.
53-year-old Hall was captured through the work of multiple law enforcement agencies, who managed to trace fraudulent transfers from Exelby’s credit cards and bank account to the Ocala resident.
This led to him being held behind bars while police linked him to the British woman’s torture and death.
His arrest affidavit shows that he initially claimed to not know the victim and gave multiple inconsistent accounts, before admitting that they had discussed ‘bondage, suicide, and her desire to have someone kill her’.
He also said they had spoken about taking her to the state’s ‘Alligator Alley’, where the local wildlife would dispose of her corpse. He did not admit to killing Exelby, but allegedly told investigators ‘she’s happy now because she got what she wanted’.
Then, on Monday October 17, officials re-arrested Hall and added kidnapping and murder charges to his previous charges of fraudulent use of credit cards and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
After her disappearance, boyfriend Stevie Hunt shared a heartbreaking plea on social media for his partner’s return.
It read: “It pains me to write this, I never thought I’d be writing this. The love of my life Sonia Exelby is missing.
“She’s struggling deeply right now with her mental health and we are terrified for her safety.”
It appears that the 32-year-old Brit may have had second thoughts about her torture and murder, allegedly telling a friend via Discord that she was being held against her will, without naming her captor.
“He made it clear there was no way out unless I shoot him. I was questioning it last night. I can’t kill anyone,” she claimed.
“I was questioning it last night… I thought he’d do it quick and not give my mind time to stew.”
She also claimed to her friend that Hall had made her record a series of ‘disclaimer’ messages and write a letter to her family, as he thought it was funny.
Florida police also reviewed a cell phone video allegedly recorded by Hall.
In the recording, the man can be seen asking Exelby how she would like to die, which the troubled Brit answers, but seemingly shows hesitancy before expressing her consent.
Hall has denied all of the charges against him.
The FDLE is urging anyone with any information to contact the Gainesville Field Office tip line at GFOTips@fdle.state.fl.us.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.