Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide and sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Authorities have provided a new update in the case of a British woman who was allegedly abused and killed by a man she met through a fetish website, after she reportedly expressed a ‘desire to have someone kill her’.
Dwain Hall, 54, of Florida, is accused of having ‘sexually abused, tortured and murdered’ 32-year-old Sonia Exelby, who was from Portsmouth. Hall has entered not guilty pleas to multiple counts, including first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Exelby traveled to the United States in October last year. Investigators allege she had been in contact with Hall online and that their conversations included a number of troubling subjects.
Concern grew when she did not make her scheduled return flight to London on October 13. Police later discovered her remains in a ‘shallow grave’.
According to police, a post-mortem examination indicated she was stabbed four times. Investigators also allege she had previously communicated on the fetish platform about a desire to be killed by someone.
It has been suggested that Exelby and Hall were in contact for around two years before she booked a flight to see him in the US.
Family members have said Exelby had experienced mental health difficulties in recent years.
In court filings, Hall’s alleged username on the website is listed as ‘alpha sadist’, a phrase commonly associated with someone who is dominant and derives pleasure from causing emotional or physical pain.
Police documents state that Hall told investigators he had discussed ‘bondage, suicide and her desire to have someone kill her’ with Exelby during online exchanges that stretched over two years.
Officers say Hall initially denied knowing Exelby at all, but later acknowledged that the pair had sex.
He also allegedly told law enforcement he ‘did grab Exelby around the throat for ‘light bondage’ but offered that he did not use any ropes’.
Despite those claims, Hall reportedly characterized the encounter as ‘vanilla’.
Hall is due to go on trial on November 16 in Marion County, Florida, with proceedings expected to run for about a week.
Relatives have also described Exelby as potentially ‘vulnerable’ at the time she flew to the US to allegedly meet Hall.
Prosecutors allege that when Hall was asked whether he killed Exelby, he responded: “She’s happy now because she got what she wanted.”
Investigators also recovered messages Exelby reportedly sent to a friend on October 11, the day after she arrived in the United States.
She allegedly wrote: “I’m sorry he keeps taking my phone, he doesn’t trust me with it. He made it clear there was no way out unless I shoot him. I was questioning it last night.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.