Family of suicidal British woman who flew to US to be murdered by man she met in fetish chatroom pay tribute to ‘gentlest soul’

The family of a suicidal British woman who flew to the US to die a ‘violent death’ after meeting a man in an online fetish chat room have paid tribute to the ‘kindest soul’.

Sonia Exelby, 32, boarded a flight from Portsmouth to Marion County in Florida, where she was found dead on October 17 last year.

Father-of-two Dwain Hall, 52, was arrested by investigators following Ms Exelby’s death and is expected to stand trial later this year.

Police revealed Ms Exelby recorded footage of herself telling Hall in detail how she wanted to die.

Hampshire Constabulary said today that officers continue to work with US authorities.

Ms Exelby’s relatives have now paid tribute to the digital content creator, saying her death left ‘a void that can never be filled’.

They said: ‘Sonia was a truly beautiful person, inside and out.

‘He had such a gentle soul; He was so kind that he chose to become vegan because he couldn’t stand the thought of any animal suffering just so he could eat.

Dwain Hall (pictured) made a video to protect himself from the consequences of ‘kidnapping and murdering’ his victim, officers say

Hall is accused of molesting and killing Exelby in this Airbnb cabin (pictured) and then dumping her body in a shallow grave

‘That was it; he was gentle, caring and full of quiet love.

‘He was incredibly talented. Sonia could play the piano so easily and had the voice of an angel when she sang. Being around him felt special; it brought a calmness and warmth that made everything feel a little lighter.

‘Sonia was one of those rare people who made you feel completely safe to be yourself. He never judged, never criticized; He accepted people as they were and loved them for it. It’s something many of us will carry with us forever.’

The youngest of six siblings, Mrs Exelby was said to be ‘much loved by all her siblings’ and had a ‘particularly close and special bond with her sister Sara’.

He was also said to have ‘built a life full of the same love’, especially with his ‘loyal’ partner of 15 years, Stevie.

‘Sonia had many wonderful friends who described her as beautiful and caring. One wrote that they had “never known a soul with a greater or purer heart and no one has ever made me feel seen as he did.”

‘Sonia’s siblings describe her as ‘the softest, gentlest soul.’ He was softly spoken and always gave the best, most intense hugs.

‘He was our baby that connected us to each other. “We cannot get over losing him, which has left a void in our lives that can never be filled,” the statement said.

Sonia Exelby (pictured with boyfriend Steve Hunt) flew to Florida ‘in search of a violent death’

Hall, who is married, claimed Ms Exelby initiated the interaction and that he did not want to have sex because he did not want to “feel bad about his wife”.

Social media posts show Hall has been with partner Ginger Stein (pictured, left) since at least 2014

Footage seen by police showed Ms Exelby sitting in a chair ‘looking disheveled’ and with numerous bruises to her face, neck and breasts after being tortured by Hall, who told police he used the name ‘alphasadist’ on fetish websites.

Hall, who claimed Ms Exelby also wanted rough sex, was heard asking her why she was in the US, to which she tearfully replied: ‘Because I’m a terrible person’ and added: ‘I crushed everyone who loved me.’

Ms. Exelby went into detail about why she was a terrible person, before Hall asked her “how” she wanted to die and “described” it.

Initially Ms Exelby refused to answer but eventually said she wanted to be ‘stabbed’.

Hall later said: ‘You wanted to die this way, didn’t you?’

When asked if he was forced to do anything against his will, Hall shook his head and shook his head before asking if he was ‘happy’ and got what he wanted.

Ms. Exelby’s final moments were recorded in a 13-page indictment filed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigating the murder.

The 32-year-old man, who has well-documented mental health issues, flew to Florida on October 10 and booked his return flight for October 13, three days later.

Mr Hunt made an emotional plea for help as he tried to find his partner and told how he flew to Tallahassee

Her family, including her boyfriend Steve Hunt in England, reported her missing because she was not on the return flight.

Mr. Hunt made an emotional plea for help trying to find her and described how the woman had flown to Tallahassee.

Posting several photos of Sonia on Instagram, he said: ‘We believe she arranged to meet someone there and put herself in an extremely vulnerable position. That’s all I can say about it.’

The police report revealed Ms Exelby had lived out her family’s worst fears, with US detectives saying she had “traveled to the United States with the intention of meeting online individuals willing to kill her by violent means”.

They say evidence found on his computer shows he was ‘suicidal and traveled to the US, possibly to be sexually abused, tortured and murdered by unknown persons’.

He had also used the messaging platform Discord to contact friends in the UK and tell them what was happening; It was a “long and disjointed” series of messages, police said.

In the letters he wrote: ‘I’m sorry he keeps taking my phone. ‘He doesn’t trust me on this.’

He later added: ‘He made it clear there was no way out unless I shot him. I was questioning this last night. ‘I can’t kill anyone.’

Miss Exelby later said: ‘I thought he would do it quickly and not give my mind time to boil and realize that if I didn’t accept his offer to shoot him it was the last thing I would ever do to anyone.

‘He showed me how to use it and where to aim. I’m so scared, I’m so hurt and in so much pain.

‘All I can do is lie here and do what he wants, make him respect me enough not to do things I truly hate.’

While Hall was being questioned, police eventually found his body in a wooded area in Marion Oaks, and Hall was identified by fingerprints; A shovel found in his home contained soil matching the burial site.

Blood was also found on the handle and was later confirmed as a positive match to Miss Exelby, and a post-mortem examination performed on her a week later showed that she had been stabbed four times.

For confidential support call Samaritans on 116 123, visit: samaritans.org or visit www.thecalmzone.net/get-support