A British woman who flew to the United States to meet a man from a fetish website was found dead in a Florida woodland, with an autopsy revealing she was stabbed four times. Sonia Exelby, 32, from Portsmouth, landed in Tallahassee on October 10 to meet Dwain Hall, 53. Three days later, after she failed to return home, her remains were discovered in Marion Oaks, northwest of Orlando.
The autopsy report determined that Exelby died from stab wounds between four and seven inches deep, and noted a dried, red-orange V-shaped abrasion. Her death was ruled a homicide. Investigators found evidence on her computer indicating she was suicidal and travelling to the US to be sexually abused, tortured and possibly murdered.
Hall was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping after being linked to transactions using Exelby's credit cards. He admitted to having violent tendencies and claimed Exelby was suicidal and wanted to be killed. However, psychologist and criminologist Alex Iszatt said this was not a suicide pact, but rather Hall validated Exelby's despair and positioned himself as the sole solution to her pain over two years.
Iszatt described Hall's behaviour as displaying traits of Antisocial Personality Disorder and malignant narcissism, noting his minimisation of violence and shifting narratives. Hall allegedly described strangling Exelby as 'vanilla' sex, which Iszatt called a profound distortion. Hall also expressed self-pity, worrying about how the situation looked, rather than showing remorse for his actions.
Exelby's friends had feared she was in an extremely vulnerable situation due to her mental health issues. The case highlights the dangers of online interactions that can escalate into fatal outcomes.
