Florida man charged in killing of UK woman who traveled to US seeking to die

53-year-old Dawin Hall of Ocala is facing charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping after the remains of 32-year-old Sonia Exelby of Portsmouth, England, were found in a shallow grave. According to investigators, Exelby had struggled with mental health problems and was suicidal. She "planned to travel to the United States with the intention of meeting with online individuals who would be willing to kill her violently,” according to the affidavit.

According to a report by NBC News, British authorities working through Interpol discovered on October 13 that Exelby had missed her flight and was endangered. Her body was found on October 17 by officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

"The remains were determined to be those of the missing woman from England and further examination revealed that her death was ruled a homicide,” FDLE stated.

The affidavit said Exelby had communicated with people on Telegram in 2024 with hopes of traveling to the United States to be killed, though she later received treatment. Earlier this year, she again appeared to be suicidal and planned to travel to the United States "to be possibly sexually abused, tortured, and murdered by unknown individuals living in the United States."

Police said Exelby met Hall at an Airbnb and that the two had sex multiple times. Hall recorded video of Exelby that was later deleted but recovered by police, showing her covered in bruises and made to answer questions about her consenting to the torture.

“Throughout the conversation Exelby is subdued, rarely looks up towards the camera where Hall would be positioned, becomes visibly upset with tears in her eyes, exhales deeply, swallows hard, and very hesitant to answer Hall’s questions,” the affidavit stated. It added that the video showed "Hall was controlling her, that she was afraid, and had made a mistake."