GAINESVILLE, FL – Sonia Exelby’s journey from Portsmouth, England, to the heart of Florida was meant to be an escape from a troubled past, but it ended in what authorities describe as a harrowing ordeal marked by coercion, violence, and tragedy.
Exelby, 32, traveled alone to the United States last month, arriving in Gainesville on October 10 after building a relationship online with a Florida man. Investigators say she came hoping to find solace, but instead encountered fatal danger.
Records show that Exelby, who had previously struggled with her mental health, was in long-term communication with 53-year-old Dwain C. Hall, whom she met through a fetish website. Officials revealed that the correspondence lasted two years and often involved discussions devoted to bondage and suicide. What began as online conversation eventually escalated into plans for a real-world meeting.
Upon landing in Florida, Exelby was picked up by Hall and taken to an Airbnb in rural Reddick, authorities said. While she had rented the home herself, evidence suggests that soon after her arrival, her stay turned grim. Surveillance footage and receipts show Hall purchasing rope, a shovel, and cleaning supplies from a local store just before meeting Exelby—a sequence investigators now say was preparation for a calculated and deadly crime.
Financial records examined by law enforcement detail attempts by Hall to access Exelby’s funds. On October 11, several failed attempts were made to charge her debit card, before $1,200 ultimately reached Hall’s account. Authorities say these efforts were accompanied by escalating violence and control.
Disturbing messages sent by Exelby to her friend over Discord provide a glimpse into her final moments. In the fragmented texts, Exelby described feeling isolated and terrified, writing that she was being held captive, her phone frequently taken away, and that she saw no way out. She also indicated being forced to record disclaimer videos and to draft a letter for her family under duress, activities she described as “torture.”
Digital evidence recovered from Hall’s phone further corroborated Exelby’s accounts. Video footage from October 11 reportedly shows her with visible injuries, appearing fearful as Hall interrogated her on camera. Police say the woman’s demeanor in the video—subdued and frightened—did not support Hall’s claims that their encounter was consensual.
International authorities became involved after Exelby missed her return flight to the UK, prompting a transatlantic investigation. U.K. police notified Florida officials, noting Exelby’s previous attempts to travel to the U.S., and concerns about her mental state. Following the exchange of information, investigators in Florida pieced together the grim events leading to her death.
Hall, who was already in jail on an unrelated fraud charge, became the focus of the murder investigation. When questioned, he made unsettling statements about Exelby’s fate and his own involvement. Authorities say Hall rationalized the crime as a twisted act of mercy, describing the victim as “happy” in her final days. However, police allege he was responsible for exploiting her vulnerabilities—and, ultimately, for her death.
Further evidence linked Hall to the crime, including a blood-stained knife recovered from a home in Ohio. According to authorities, Hall had mailed the item there in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence. Testing later confirmed the blood belonged to Exelby.
As the investigation continues, Hall remains jailed without bond, facing charges of murder, kidnapping, and fraud. No court date has yet been set, and authorities are working to determine whether others may have had knowledge of the plot.
Exelby, whose life was marked by struggle, is remembered by those who knew her as caring but deeply troubled. The circumstances of her death, authorities say, underscore the dangers of online exploitation and remind others of the urgent need for awareness and intervention in similar cases.