Final moments of Brit, 32, who flew to US to ‘be killed violently by creepy fetish man’
WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: Portsmouth woman Sonia Exelby travelled to Florida to meet a man from a fetish website, and police say they found evidence including a knife in a parcel sent to the home of Dwain Hall
A vulnerable British woman who flew to the US “seeking a violent death” from a man she met online recorded a chilling video describing exactly how she wanted to die moments before being stabbed to death.
Sonia Exelby, 32, flew to Florida last month days before her remains were found on October 17. Florida man Dwain Hall – who Sonia had met on an online fetish chatroom – was arrested and charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder following her death.
Hall, 53 was apprehended by deputies from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) after Sonia’s remains were discovered in Marion County. The FDLE has accused him of responding to a request she had posted on an undisclosed fetish site to abuse and then kill her.
Hall, a father of two, is alleged to have sexually abused and tortured the vulnerable British woman before killing her in the remote Airbnb the pair were staying in.
Now cops have revealed a haunting video recorded by a clearly distressed Sonia where she outlined how she wanted to die.
In the clip Sonia can be seen “looking dishevelled” with a string of bruises across her face, neck and breasts after allegedly being tortured by Hall who says he uses the name “alphasadist” on fetish websites.
Hall can be overheard asking Sonia why she is in the US. Sonia replied “Because I am an awful person… I’ve crushed everyone who ever loves me.” Eventually Sonia says she wants “to be stabbed”. Hall, who also told police Sonia asked for rough sex, replied: “This is how you wanted to die, right?”
Hall asks if Sonia is doing anything against her will, to which Sonia shakes her head. He then asks if she is “happy” and getting what she wants, to which she nods. Sonia travelled to Florida on October 10 and had a return flight booked three days later for October 13.
Sonia’s family, including her boyfriend Steve Hunt from Portsmouth, reported the woman missing when she wasn’t on board her return flight.
Also among the evidence, authorities added, was a label for a shovel matching a brand Hall had purchased before October 10.
Police later discovered a shovel of the same brand as the one from which the label had been found in Hall’s garage, and it also bore traces of both his and Ms Exelby’s DNA.
A post-mortem examination carried out after Ms Exelby’s murder revealed she had been fatally stabbed four times with a knife. Following her death, UK police disclosed that Ms Exelby had previously attempted to hire someone to kill her in 2024, but the attempt was thwarted and she received treatment.
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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