The family of a British woman murdered in the United States say she was groomed on a fetish website, where she allegedly met the man accused of killing her.
Sonia Exelby, 32, was discovered in a shallow grave in Florida on October 17 last year, just days after travelling 4,000 miles to meet 54-year-old Dwain Hall, prosecutors allege.
The pair had first connected through a fetish website. Early findings from the police investigation suggest Ms Exelby may have paid Hall—whose murder trial is due to begin next month—to kill her.
Ms Exelby, a music tutor who lived with depression and body dysmorphia, travelled from Portsmouth to Marion County in northern Florida days before her death. Police said she had “left evidence on her computer indicating that she was again suicidal”.
Her relatives, however, have rejected the suggestion that the case was simply a suicide pact, claiming instead that Ms Exelby had been groomed and that they had raised concerns about the fetish website.
A medical examiner determined that Ms Exelby had been stabbed four times. Her body was found in woodland near a highway. Hall, a father of two, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping.
He had previously been detained over allegations of fraudulent credit-card use and the unlawful use of a two-way communication device connected to Ms Exelby.
Hall denies the charges. His trial is scheduled to begin on November 16.
Sonia Exelby, 32, flew from Portsmouth to Marion County, Florida, where her body was found on October 17 last year
Dwain Hall, a father of two, is due to stand trial next month over Ms Exelby’s death
Hall is accused of abusing and killing Ms Exelby at this Airbnb cabin before leaving her body in a shallow grave
Ms Exelby’s five siblings said several close relatives, along with their partners and nieces, could not afford to make the journey to Florida.
Gemma Isaj, the eldest sibling, has launched a GoFundMe appeal to help pay for the family’s travel. She told The Times: “We all have to be there to tell Sonia’s story. This is about mental health [but also] there are websites and a bigger movement.”
Ms Isaj also said an Airbnb in Florida cancelled the family’s reservation after they explained why they were visiting.
The family said Hall should face the “full extent of justice” if convicted. They claim Ms Exelby was “known” to him as someone vulnerable and allege that he groomed her over a period of two years.
Luke Wilton, Ms Exelby’s 47-year-old brother, said: “When Sonia first raised this, she was saying she had to protect others, by gathering evidence and talking with them, taking them down.
“She had a purpose to stop this from happening to others. She told us she lost friends [this way]—she wanted to shine awareness on what was happening to people.”
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According to her siblings, Ms Exelby said she had uncovered a group of American men who were killing vulnerable women. They allege she planned to travel to the US to expose the crimes.
After reaching Florida, her family said Ms Exelby sent messages to friends asking for help.
The Daily Mail reported in August that a US police officer assigned to guard the crime scene where Ms Exelby was found had described her as a “crazy freaking lady”.
Bodycam footage showed the officer making the comments to his mother after she called her son to wish him a happy birthday as he protected the site where Ms Exelby’s body was found.
Sonia Exelby (pictured with her boyfriend Steve Hunt) flew to Florida ‘seeking a violent death’
Hall, who is married, claimed Ms Exelby initiated the interaction
During the exchange the officer said: ‘We’ve got FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] here, we’ve got Interpol here, we’ve got all kinds of people here.’
After his mother asks ‘what happened?’ he replies: ‘This crazy freakin’ lady from the UK was talking to this dude online from Marion Oaks.
‘She told him all her sexual fantasies, and he was like, “I could facilitate that.” And she was like, “At the end of it I wanna be killed.” And he facilitated that too.
‘It’s an international thing because she’s from UK. I guess he was using her credit cards afterwards and stuff too.’
Weeks after Ms Exelby died police said she recorded footage describing in graphic detail how she wanted to die.
In the video she can be seen sitting on a chair ‘looking dishevelled’ and with multiple bruises across her face, neck and breasts – after being tortured by Hall who told police he used the name ‘alphasadist’ on fetish websites.
Hall, who claimed Ms Exelby had also asked for rough sex, can be heard asking her why she was in the US before she replied in tears: ‘Because I am an awful person,’ adding: ‘I’ve crushed everyone who ever loves me.’
Ms Exelby, who described herself as a content creator, went on to detail why she was an awful person before Hall asked her ‘how’ she wanted to die and to ‘describe it’.
Initially she refused to answer but eventually said she wanted ‘to be stabbed’.
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