Warning: This article contains discussions of suicide and sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
A man’s alleged ‘shopping list’ has been released by police, made prior to the suspected murder of a British woman.
Sonia Exelby, a 32-year-old from Portsmouth, UK, is believed to have traveled to the United States with the intention of being sexually abused and killed, according to authorities.
Reports suggest that Exelby was suicidal and sought someone to end her life violently.
Dwain Hall has been charged in connection with her death. An arrest affidavit, as reported by PEOPLE, indicated that Exelby was ‘suicidal and traveling to the United States to be sexually abused, tortured, and possibly murdered’.
Investigators in the UK discovered a suicide note where she expressed anticipation of being ‘mutilated and disabled for the rest of my life’.
Exelby and Hall, who is from Ocala, Florida, are believed to have initiated contact online two years prior through a fetish website.
Exelby traveled to the U.S. in October, and alarm was raised when she did not return to the UK on her scheduled flight on October 13.
Her body was discovered days later in Marion Oaks, Florida, with four stab wounds.
Police reported that on the day Exelby arrived in the U.S., Hall bought paracord, gun cleaner, rope, and deodorant at a local store. CCTV footage reportedly shows him returning to purchase a shovel shortly after, as detailed by the Mirror.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced Hall’s arrest on November 17, stating: “The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Dwain Hall, 53, of Ocala, on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the homicide of a missing woman from the United Kingdom.
“The arrest follows a swift and intensive investigation that led to the discovery of her remains in Marion County less than one week after she was reported missing.”
Hall was charged with murder after initially facing charges of fraudulent use of credit cards and unlawful use of a two-way communication device related to Exelby’s disappearance.
He allegedly attempted to use Exelby’s credit cards multiple times, successfully withdrawing $1,200 in cash.
The 53-year-old has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.
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.