Florida Murder Case Involves Pagan Cultist and Suicidal Woman
A man identified as Dwayne Hall, age 53, faces serious accusations after allegedly killing Sonia Exelby, a 32-year-old British music tutor, in a secluded cabin in Florida. Authorities report that Hall, suspected of being part of a sadistic pagan cult, attempted to conceal the murder by mailing the knife he used to a friend.
According to police, Hall met Exelby through an extreme fetish website. He is believed to have stabbed her four times with a custom-made knife, which had an ominous inscription reading, “Dark Wharfy’s tip pierces the enemy.” This phrase seems to link back to Hall’s online persona, “Dark Wolf.”
Exelby, who reportedly struggled with severe mental health issues, had allegedly arranged for Hall to torture and kill her. He was described as a former pizza delivery driver with a fascination for Anubis, the Egyptian god of death. Law enforcement sources say that on October 10, 2025, Hall purchased supplies like rope and a shovel, then picked Exelby up from Gainesville Regional Airport to take her to a remote Airbnb in Reddick.
On October 11, Hall reportedly transferred $1,200 from Exelby’s bank account and recorded a disturbing video of her. In the four-minute clip, a visibly injured Exelby stated she had come to the U.S. to die, insisting she wasn’t coerced. “I destroyed everyone who loved me,” she stated, although Hall later deleted the footage before authorities could examine it.
At the same time, Exelby communicated with a friend on Discord, conveying her anguish and regret. She expressed her dread, saying she thought it would happen quickly, leaving her no time to rethink her decision. Her distress was clear in her messages, where she mentioned her time was running out.
On October 12, Hall bought a plastic tarp and spent about an hour in a remote, wooded area, according to data from cell phone towers. Authorities suspect he discarded Exelby’s belongings at a donation bin in Gainesville, where investigators later recovered them, including her personal items.
On the same day Exelby’s family reported her missing after she failed to return from her trip, Hall sent his friend a cryptic message about an impending “big storm.” He followed up with a message suggesting the friend would need a package in six months, warning against losing it. This package, which was sent to Ohio, contained the bloody knife, its sheath, and a bracelet linked to Exelby’s DNA.
Interestingly, Hall met with detectives on the day he mailed the package, where they revealed that Exelby had attempted to buy roadside assistance while claiming they hadn’t met face-to-face.
Authorities located Exelby’s body in a shallow grave on October 17. Hall was arrested ten days later on suspicions of credit card fraud connected to her account. Formal charges of murder and kidnapping followed in November 2025, with Hall now pleading not guilty.
His trial is set to kick off with jury selection on November 16, 2026, in Marion County, Florida.
If you are in New York City and facing thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, help is available—call 1-888-NYC-WELL for confidential support. For those outside the five boroughs, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline can be reached at 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
