British woman found dead in Florida grave after US trip

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 19:07 · Archive

Sonia Exelby, 32, from Portsmouth, was found dead in a shallow grave in Florida after travelling to meet a man she encountered on a fetish website.

Sonia Exelby, a 32-year-old music tutor from Portsmouth, was reported missing on 12 October and found dead in a shallow grave near a highway in Marion County, Florida on 17 October. She had travelled 4,000 miles to meet Dwain Hall, 54, whom she had encountered on a fetish website. A medical examiner found she had been stabbed four times.

Hall was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping. He was also arrested over alleged fraudulent use of Ms Exelby's credit cards and unlawful use of a two-way communication device linked to her. Police said early indications from their investigation suggest Ms Exelby paid Hall to take her life. Ms Exelby had suffered from depression and body dysmorphia, and police found evidence on her computer suggesting she was suicidal.

However, her family claim she was groomed on the fetish website and had been concerned about the forum. They allege Hall knew her vulnerabilities, and that the alleged grooming lasted two years. Hall denies all charges. His trial is scheduled to begin on 16 November.

How it is being reported

• British woman who ‘went to US to be killed by man from fetish site was groomed’ say familySonia Exelby, from Portsmouth, was discovered dead in a shallow grave in Florida (Picture: Family Handout/PA Wire) A British woman who is believed to have travelled to the US to be killed may have been groomed, her family claim. The death of Sonia Exelby, 32, has left her family in the UK in limbo…Metro · 19 Oct, 18:51
• Suicidal British woman who flew to America to be murdered by a man she met in a chatroom was groomed, claim relativesSonia Exelby, 32, was found in a shallow grave in Florida on October 17 last year days after travelling 4,000 miles allegedly to meet Dwain Hall, 54.Daily Mail · 19 Oct, 08:41

In this story: Sonia Exelby · Dwain Hall · Portsmouth · Florida · Marion County

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