Florida man charged with murder, kidnapping after U.K. woman allegedly hired him to torture and kill her

OCALA, Fla. (TCN) -- A man has been arrested in connection with the death of a British woman whose remains were found in a wooded area, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced on Nov. 17.

Interpol contacted the FDLE on Oct. 13 when 32-year-old Sonia Exelby was reported missing after not arriving home to England on a return flight from Florida.

FDLE officials and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigated and located human remains in a shallow grave on Oct. 17. Exelby died from four sharp force injuries, probably from a knife, according to the autopsy report, WTVT reports.

The FDLE arrested Dwain Hall, 53, on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with Exelby’s death. Hall was already in custody on fraud charges associated with Exelby’s credit cards, officials said.

Hall and Exelby met on a fetish website, where Exelby had expressed the desire for someone to abuse her, WTVT reports.

Investigators recovered a letter Exelby wrote in which she said she hoped to be “mutilated and disabled for the rest of my life,” People magazine reports.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by WTVT, Hall initially denied knowing Exelby, but evidence showed them together. The license plate on Hall’s car was reportedly scanned and read on Oct. 10 when he picked up Hall from the airport in Gainesville, and the two then reportedly went to an Airbnb that Exelby had reserved and paid for.

In addition, surveillance and bank records show Hall reportedly bought a gun cleaner, rope, and shovel before picking up Exelby, WTVT reports.

According to WFTV, investigators said Exelby sent messages to friends on Discord while at the Airbnb with Hall. One message read, “I thought he’d do it quick and not give my mind time to stew.” Hall also allegedly recorded videos of Exelby covered in bruises and cuts while asking for her consent to be stabbed.

On Oct. 14, Hall allegedly sent a package to a friend that contained a knife. In a jail phone call Oct. 27, Hall allegedly told his wife to look for a package to be delivered in six months; authorities later found a knife with Exelby’s blood on it inside the package Hall had sent, WTVT reports.

Interpol told the FDLE that a 2024 report showed Exelby was suicidal and hoped to travel to meet someone who would kill her, WFTV reports. She was treated that year but followed through with her plan when she met Hall.

A judge denied bond at Hall’s first court appearance. The investigation remains active.

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