Dwain Hall, 53, is charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of 32-year-old Sonia Exelby.
OCALA, Fla. — An Ocala man accused of kidnapping and fatally stabbing a woman who traveled from the United Kingdom to Florida pleaded not guilty on Nov. 18, court records show. Dwain Hall, 53, remains jailed without bond following his November arrests and charging.
Authorities say the victim, 32-year-old Sonia Exelby of Portsmouth, England, arrived at Gainesville Regional Airport on Oct. 10 and was found dead a week later in a shallow grave in the Marion Oaks area of Marion County. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement alleges Hall picked her up from the airport, took her to an Airbnb outside Ocala, and later buried her. Investigators say digital records, surveillance video and items recovered from Hall’s property and a friend’s home link him to the killing. Prosecutors have filed first-degree murder and kidnapping counts; Hall has denied the allegations through his plea.
Investigators outlined a detailed timeline. License plate readers captured Hall’s vehicle at the Gainesville airport the evening of Oct. 10. Records show he bought paracord, rope and a shovel that day, then drove with Exelby to an Airbnb in Reddick. On Oct. 11, bank and store receipts tied to Hall showed purchases near the rental. Detectives later reported finding a video of Exelby, bruised, on Hall’s phone and Discord messages from her account expressing fear and regret. A Marion County judge ordered Hall held without bond, saying, “There is no bond that would assure your presence in court or keep the community safe, and there is a large amount of evidence against you,” according to a hearing recording.
According to arrest affidavits, Hall initially denied knowing Exelby before giving inconsistent accounts. Investigators say his roadside assistance business charged $1,200 to Exelby’s card on Oct. 11 after failed attempts on another card. Detectives say they recovered a shovel from Hall’s home bearing DNA from both him and Exelby and found a label for the same shovel brand at the burial site. A medical examiner determined Exelby died of four sharp-force injuries. Detectives later retrieved a knife they believe was used in the attack from a friend’s home in Ohio; authorities say it tested positive for Exelby’s blood.
Law enforcement agencies in Florida and the United Kingdom exchanged alerts on Oct. 13 after Exelby missed her scheduled return flight. FDLE says records indicate Exelby and Hall met through a fetish website; officials also noted a prior 2024 incident in which U.K. authorities intervened when Exelby sought to hire someone to kill her. Investigators emphasized that whatever messages may have preceded the trip, Florida law does not allow anyone to consent to their own killing, and they are treating Exelby’s death as a homicide. Former law enforcement officials who reviewed the case materials described the circumstances as unusual and disturbing.
The case has moved quickly since Hall’s initial arrest Oct. 17 on fraud-related allegations tied to Exelby’s cards. Those counts were later dropped as homicide charges were prepared. Hall was arrested on the murder and kidnapping counts on Nov. 17 and formally charged a day later. He entered his not-guilty plea on Nov. 18 ahead of an arraignment set in December, according to court filings. Investigators say recorded jail calls captured Hall telling his wife to expect a package from an Ohio friend; deputies who searched that location later collected the knife and a bracelet that authorities say carried DNA from both Hall and Exelby.
Neighbors and acquaintances told reporters they were shocked by the allegations. One former neighbor of Hall’s in Tallahassee said the case rattled her: “Thinking of somebody you came across in life killing somebody else — it’s very shocking,” she said. Friends of Exelby said she studied music and had struggled with mental health. Detectives said messages recovered from her devices showed she told a friend, “I’m so, so scared,” and, “I’m so broken and in so much pain,” the day before her death.
As of Friday, Hall remains in the Marion County Jail with no bond. Prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek the death penalty. A court date in December is the next scheduled step, when attorneys are expected to address discovery and future hearings.
Author note: Last updated November 21, 2025.