OCALA, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida man will face a jury on charges he murdered a woman whom he met on a fetish website this fall, a judge announced on Wednesday.
Dwain Hall appears in court for a hearing on April 22, 2026. (Court TV)
Dwain Hall, 54, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Sonia Exelby, 32, who disappeared from her home in England on Oct. 13, 2025.
Prosecutors say Hall and Exelby met on a fetish website and communicated with one another for approximately two years before Exelby purchased a plane ticket to visit Hall in the United States. Hall’s alleged profile name on the fetish website was “alphasadist.”
Hall initially denied knowing the victim and later admitted to having sex with her but claimed he didn’t want to, police said. As the conversation continued, Hall allegedly told officers that he “did grab Exelby around the throat for ‘light bondage’ but offered that he did not use any ropes.” He went on to describe the sex as “vanilla.” Eventually, Hall allegedly told officers that over the two years he had spoken to the victim, the two had discussed “bondage, suicide and her desire to have someone kill her.”
At Wednesday’s brief court hearing, prosecutors referenced the “very long statements” Hall made to police; Hall’s attorney said he had no plans to file any motions regarding the recording.
A search for Exelby based on Hall’s phone records led officers to an area of disturbed soil that was later determined to be Exelby’s burial site.
When the judge asked prosecutors about the state of plea negotiations in the case, prosecutors said that the only offer on the table was life in prison.
Hall’s trial is scheduled to start with jury selection on Nov. 16 in Marion County, Florida. The trial is expected to last for a week.
