Welcome to Arrest Stories. A fifty-three-year-old Florida man has been arrested on first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of a British woman whose remains were discovered in Marion County. Here's what may have happened.
Dwain Hall was taken into custody in Marion County, Florida, facing charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device without bond. The case involves thirty-two-year-old Sonia Exelby from Portsmouth, England, who authorities say had long struggled with mental health problems and was suicidal.
According to investigators, evidence on Exelby's computer showed she had communicated with multiple people on the Telegram messaging app, planning to travel to the United States to be sexually abused, tortured, and murdered. Officials stated she "planned to travel to the United States with the intention of meeting with online individuals who would be willing to kill her violently."
The timeline shows Exelby landed at Gainesville Regional Airport on October tenth. That same day at five forty-seven in the evening, Hall purchased paracord, gun cleaner, rope, and Lume Spray at a Walmart in Gainesville. At six thirty that evening, Hall picked Exelby up from the airport. The two met at an Airbnb property over the weekend of October tenth and had sex multiple times.
Exelby failed to board her scheduled return flight to England on October thirteenth. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement received a request for investigative assistance from United Kingdom authorities through INTERPOL regarding the missing woman.
On October seventeenth, human remains were discovered in the Marion Oaks area of Marion County. The remains were later identified as those of Exelby, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Hall was already in jail on charges of fraudulent use of credit cards and unlawful use of a two-way communication device when he was arrested for murder. These charges were tied to the victim's stolen credit cards.
Officials stated: "Our agents worked with extraordinary speed and unwavering determination to ensure justice was served and closure was brought to the victim's family. This type of violent crime and disregard for human life will not be tolerated in our state, those who commit such heinous crimes will be held fully accountable."
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.