A man is accused of planning to have alligators consume a British woman who traveled to the US with the aim of being killed. Sonia Exelby, a 32-year-old from Portsmouth, visited Florida on October 10 and allegedly met Dwain Hall, 53, who is suspected of murdering her after connecting on a fetish website. The duo drove to an Airbnb in Reddick, located around 100 miles northwest of Orlando, where Hall purportedly filmed a video coercing Sonia into agreeing to harm.
According to arrest records reviewed by The Mirror, Sonia had left indications on her computer suggesting suicidal intentions and a trip to the US for mistreatment, torture, and potential homicide. Sonia’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave in woodland in nearby Marion County on October 17. An autopsy revealed she had been stabbed four times with a knife. Subsequently, law enforcement found a knife with Sonia’s DNA in a package sent to a friend of Hall’s in Ohio.
Hall voluntarily appeared at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on the same day after allegedly trying to use Sonia’s credit card to withdraw $1,200 (£905.11). Initially, Hall denied meeting Sonia and claimed to have received the card number from a man over the phone for unspecified services. He then changed his story, stating he picked up a woman and dropped her off at the Airbnb where Sonia was killed. Documents alleged that Hall confessed to messaging Sonia about her alleged wish to be killed.
The documents further revealed that Hall admitted to being the last person to see Exelby alive and mentioned taking her to Alligator Alley where she could encounter wildlife that would harm her. Hall gestured using his hands to indicate violence towards Exelby. When asked if he killed her, Hall declined to provide details, stating he could not answer that question.
Hall faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, fraudulent credit card use, and illegal use of two transmission devices. His next court appearance is scheduled for December 23, and he has pleaded not guilty to the accusations. A social media post by a loved one of Sonia on October 16 described her as a “vulnerable person” who flew from the UK to Florida.
