A man has been accused of planning a disturbing scenario involving alligators and a British woman who traveled to the US with the intention of being harmed.
The woman, Sonia Exelby, 32, from Portsmouth, flew to Florida on October 10 and allegedly met Dwain Hall, 53, through a fetish website. They then drove to an Airbnb in Reddick, located about 100 miles northwest of Orlando, where Hall reportedly coerced Sonia into consenting to harm in a recorded video.
According to arrest documents reviewed by media outlets, Sonia had left evidence on her computer suggesting suicidal tendencies and a desire to be abused, tortured, or potentially killed in the US. Tragically, Sonia’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave in woodland in nearby Marion County on October 17. An autopsy revealed she had been stabbed four times with a knife, and investigators later found a knife with Sonia’s DNA in a package sent to a friend of Hall’s in Ohio.
Hall voluntarily presented himself at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on the same day Sonia’s remains were found after allegedly attempting to use her credit card to withdraw funds. Initially denying any involvement with Sonia, Hall later admitted to messaging her about her purported wish to be killed. He suggested that he would have taken her to a place called Alligator Alley, where she could have encountered dangerous wildlife that could have caused harm to her.
Hall, who faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, fraudulent credit card use, and unlawful use of transmission devices, has pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to appear in court on December 23. A social media post by one of Sonia’s loved ones described her as a vulnerable individual who had flown from the UK to Florida.
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