British Woman Stabbed to Death in Florida Grave, Man Charged

A 32-year-old British woman from Portsmouth, England, was found stabbed to death in a shallow grave in Marion County, Florida, after traveling to the United States to meet a man she believed would end her life, authorities said. Sonia Exelby arrived at Gainesville Regional Airport on October 10 and failed to board her return flight three days later, prompting her family and boyfriend to report her missing. Her body was discovered on October 17 in woods near Marion Oaks, and an autopsy confirmed she died from four stab wounds.

Exelby, who had a documented history of severe mental health struggles including suicidal ideation, had communicated online with individuals about her desire for a violent death, according to investigators. Evidence from her laptop showed she had made similar plans earlier in the year but was dissuaded. This time, she connected with 53-year-old Dwain Hall of Ocala through a fetish website two years prior. Hall, a father of two and married, picked her up from the airport using her credit card for transactions and took her to an Airbnb rental in the Reddick area of Marion County.

At the property, the two engaged in sexual activity multiple times, police...