Sonia Exelby's Family Says She Was Manipulated Online Before Death

Sonia Exelby died in the United States at the hands of a man she met online, her family says she was manipulated through a fetish website before her death. The 32-year-old British woman boarded a flight from Portsmouth and traveled nearly 4,000 miles to Marion County in Florida to allegedly meet Dwain Hall. She ended up in a shallow grave near a highway on October 17 last year after being stabbed four times inside an Airbnb cabin. Police believe she paid Mr Hall to kill her based on early findings from the investigation into her death.

Her family argues that she was groomed by the 54-year-old father-of-two over two years and knew him as vulnerable. Sonia suffered from depression and body dysmorphia while working as a music tutor. Evidence left on her computer indicated she was suicidal days before she traveled to Florida. Her siblings, including Gemma Isaj, said some of their closest relatives could not afford the trip to attend the trial. Ms Isaj launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for travel costs after an Airbnb host canceled their booking when they explained the reason for their stay.

Gemma told The Times that everyone must be there to tell Sonia's story because it involves mental health and a wider movement regarding these websites. Luke Wilton, her 47-year-old brother, stated she had a purpose to stop this from happening to others. She wanted to protect people by gathering evidence and talking with them to take them down. Mr Hall denies the charges against him. He also faces arrest for fraudulent use of credit cards and unlawful use of a two-way communication device linked to Sonia. His murder trial begins on November 16. The family wants full justice served after claiming he knew about her vulnerability.

Sonia Exelby spoke openly about losing friends to similar fates and pushed hard to shine a light on the tragedy unfolding around her. She allegedly told her siblings she had tracked down a group of American men who were murdering vulnerable women, and she planned a trip to expose these crimes. Upon arriving in Florida, reports surfaced that she sent messages to friends begging for help before things went dark.

In August, the Daily Mail broke the story about a US police officer standing guard over the crime scene where Exelby was found. He called her a 'crazy freaking lady.' Bodycam footage captured him making those remarks to his mother after she phoned him on his birthday while he protected the site of her death.

Sonia Exelby, pictured with her boyfriend Steve Hunt, flew to Florida seeking a violent end. Hall, who is married, claimed Ms Exelby initiated the contact between them. During their exchange, the officer stated: 'We've got FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] here, we've got Interpol here, we've got all kinds of people here.' When his mother asked what happened, he replied: 'This crazy freakin' lady from the UK was talking to this dude online from Marion Oaks. She told him all her sexual fantasies, and he was like, "I could facilitate that." And she was like, "At the end of it I wanna be killed." And he facilitated that too.' He noted it had become an international issue because she came from the UK, adding: 'I guess he was using her credit cards afterwards and stuff too.'

Weeks after Ms Exelby died, police released footage in which she recorded herself describing in graphic detail how she wanted to die. In the video, she sits on a chair looking dishevelled with multiple bruises across her face, neck and breasts. These marks came from being tortured by Hall, who told police he used the name 'alphasadist' on fetish websites. Hall claimed Ms Exelby had also asked for rough sex. He can be heard asking her why she was in the US before she replied in tears: 'Because I am an awful person,' adding: 'I've crushed everyone who ever loves me.'

Ms Exelby, who described herself as a content creator, went on to explain why she felt like such an awful person. Hall then asked her 'how' she wanted to die and to 'describe it'. Initially she refused to answer but eventually said she wanted 'to be stabbed'. For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit www.thecalmzone.net/get-support.