A homicide investigation stretching from the United Kingdom to Marion County has resulted in the arrest of an Ocala man accused of killing a British woman whose remains were found in a wooded area of Marion Oaks last month.
Dwain C. Hall, 53, is charged with first‑degree murder and kidnapping in the death of 32‑year‑old Sonia Exelby, a Portsmouth, England resident who traveled to Florida in early October. According to investigators, Exelby told friends overseas she was suicidal before her trip and had been communicating online with Hall beforehand. Authorities say she believed she was coming to the United States to engage in violent acts that would result in her death, though her final messages show hesitation and fear.
Hall picked Exelby up from the Gainesville Regional Airport on October 10 and brought her to an Airbnb rental in Reddick. Detectives say video recovered from Hall’s phone shows Exelby bruised and lying on the floor, telling him she wanted to be stabbed. In the footage, she appears frightened and tense, speaking quietly as Hall records her.
Messages later obtained by investigators show a shift in her state of mind. Exelby confided to a friend that she was scared of Hall and felt unable to leave. She wrote that she was “broken” and “scared” and that she was doing whatever he asked so he would not hurt her further. She also expressed doubts about wanting to die.
FDLE agents say Hall purchased a shovel, rope, and other items shortly before Exelby went missing. Cell‑phone location data placed him at the burial site in Marion Oaks for about an hour on October 12. Detectives believe Exelby was killed sometime between October 10 and October 12.
Exelby was scheduled to fly home to England on October 13, but she never arrived at the airport. British authorities reported her missing, prompting Florida law‑enforcement agencies to begin a coordinated search. Her remains were discovered in a shallow grave on October 17, and the medical examiner determined she had died from multiple sharp‑force wounds.
Hall was arrested on November 18 after a multi‑agency investigation involving FDLE, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and international authorities. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond at the Marion County Jail.
The case has drawn widespread attention due to the international travel, the disturbing nature of the recorded video, and Exelby’s vulnerable mental state in the days leading up to her death. Prosecutors with the Fifth Judicial Circuit have not announced whether additional charges will be filed.
Investigators say they continue to review electronic evidence and communications exchanged between Hall and Exelby before her arrival in Florida. Court records indicate more evidence will be presented in upcoming hearings as the case moves toward trial.
For Marion County residents, the incident underscores how digital interactions can escalate across borders and lead to real‑world crimes in local neighborhoods. Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact FDLE or the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
