In one of the strangest murder cases of the year, Marion County detectives are currently unpicking the bizarre death of 32-year-old British woman Sonia Exelby. On Oct. 17, her body was found deep in the woods in a shallow grave, just one week after she arrived in Tallahassee, Florida.
An alert had been given to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that same day by British authorities, who’d reported her missing after she didn’t take her return flight home. Her longtime partner Stevie also put out a message on Instagram pleading for information:
“Sonia is such a vulnerable person and really struggling with her mental health. We believe she got on a plane on Friday and made her way to Florida Tallahassee from the UK. We believe she has arranged to meet someone there and has got herself into an extremely vulnerable situation. Thats all I can really say on that.”
It appears that Exelby had made the trip to Florida “specifically to meet with people who would give her a violent death”, as per British officials. Authorities have now arrested 51-year-old Florida man Dwain Hall, who it appears Exelby had been speaking to online for around two years.
Hall had allegedly positioned himself as her “mentor” and appears to have exploited Exelby’s mental health condition and anxieties. In a video recovered from Hall’s phone, Exelby is shown covered in bruises and explaining she’s there “because I’m an awful person” and that “I’ve crushed everyone who ever loves me.”
“I thought he’d do it quick”
The video then shows Hall trying to convince Exelby to let him hurt her. Detectives say a “visibly upset” Exelby nods affirmatively. What happened over the next day is known, but on Oct. 11, Exelby sent a friend a Discord message:
“He made it clear there was no way out unless I shoot him. I was questioning it last night… I thought he’d do it quick and not give my mind time to stew.”
An autopsy ruled that Exelby was killed by being stabbed four times. Her corpse was found with a label for a shovel that matched one recently purchased by Hall, which was then found in his garage with his DNA on it. In addition, he’d posted a package to a friend in Ohio containing a bloody knife.
It seems clear that, regardless of anything Exelby had said about wanting to die, her killer exploited those weaknesses and mental health for his own sick pleasure. So, if you’re considering that this is a kind of assisted suicide, think again. Hall has been arrested on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, credit card fraud, and unlawful use of a communication device. He’s currently being held without bond.
Published: Nov 19, 2025 09:28 am