Sonia Exelby, a 32-year-old woman from the UK, flew to Florida to be “sexually assaulted and possibly murdered.” She had also recorded herself talking to her alleged killer, where she spoke about how she wanted to die. This footage is now considered key evidence against Exelby’s alleged killer, 53-year-old Dwain Hall.
The footage, captured inside an Airbnb in Reddick on October 11, shows Exelby visibly bruised, with marks on her face, neck, and chest, as revealed by an arrest affidavit viewed by The Post. The video was recorded two days before Exelby was reported missing after she did not return home to England on October 13.
The video was retrieved by the police from Hall’s phone and lasts for four minutes and sixteen seconds. During the whole time, Exelby barely looks up at the phone and talks in a rather subdued manner.
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When Hall asked her why she had wanted to die, Exelby said, “Because I’m an awful person. I’ve crushed everyone who ever loved me.” Her voice appeared to be shaking while she spoke, and she also teared up. When Hall asked her how she wanted to die, Exelby responded after some hesitation, saying that she wanted to be stabbed.
Hall then said, “This is how you wanted to die, right? You wanted to be beaten and made to suffer because you’re such a piece of s–t.”
It can be seen throughout the video that Hall asked her repeatedly if she had complete understanding of what she was consenting to. Exelby replied positively every time, though it was clear that she was sobbing. She said, “I needed to be beaten and suffer cause I’m such a piece of s–t.” To this, Hall said, “Good, good.”
That same day, Exelby used Discord to text someone overseas. In those texts, she mentioned that she was having second thoughts about her plans to die. She wrote, “He made it clear there was no way out unless I shoot him. I was questioning it last night. I can’t kill anyone.”
Exelby further wrote to that person that Hall had given her an explanation about how to use a gun. She wrote, “I thought he’d do it quick and not give my mind time to stew and realize this is the last thing I’ll ever say to anyone if I don’t take his offer of shooting him.” She further added, “I’m so so scared, I’m so broken and in so much pain. All I can do is lay here and doing what he wants makes him respect me enough not to do the things I really hate.”
As reported by The Post, “She also told the person Hall made her record three disclaimer videos and write a letter to her family because it was ‘funny’.”
According to an arrest affidavit, Hall told investigators that he met Exelby on a fetish website. He said he was attempting to “mentor” her and claimed he only wanted to “make her life better” and stop her from taking her own life.
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However, during the interrogation, Hall’s story kept changing. He later told officers that those inconsistencies were part of a “cover story” that Exelby apparently wanted him to use so that her death does not become a “burden to him.”
Hall also claimed that Exelby “didn’t want to be found” and therefore he refused to tell the police the location of her body. However, police did discover her remains on October 17, in a shallow grave in the woods of Marion Oaks, Florida.
As per autopsy reports, Exelby’s death was ruled as a homicide, which was caused by four sharp wounds, such as from a knife. Hall also told the police that the last time he met Exelby, “she was happy because she was going to get what she wanted.”
He was taken into custody on November 17 and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with Exelby’s death. It should also be noted that Hall had already been in custody following an October 18 arrest for alleged felony credit card fraud and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. He has, however, pleaded not guilty to all charges and currently is held at the Marion County Jail without bond.
