Family say British woman killed in Florida was groomed for two years

Sonia Exelby’s family say she was groomed for two years by Dwain Hall, whom she met on a fetish website, before travelling from Britain to Florida, where she was killed. Their account challenges early indications in the police investigation that she had paid Hall to take her life, and raises questions about her vulnerability and the website.

Exelby, 32, was found in a shallow grave on 17 October last year, days after travelling about 4,000 miles from Portsmouth to Marion County. A medical examiner said she had been stabbed four times; Hall, 54, denies murder and kidnapping charges, and his trial is due to begin on 16 November. Her siblings say she had described trying to expose men she believed were targeting vulnerable women, and are raising money to help relatives attend the trial.