"My Time's up."Those were the final words Sonia Exelby sent a friend while her alleged killer showered in a nearby bathroom.Frightened and in pain, Sonia, 32, quickly typed out the message inside a Florida Airbnb, some 4,000 miles from home in Portsmouth. Time was ticking. Police documents said her alleged killer Dwain Hall, 54, told Sonia "there was no way out" unless she shot him.Sonia arrived in the US on October 10 last year with the apparent intention of being killed after speaking to Hall on a fetish website over the best part of two years. In her final hours, Sonia appeared to contemplate her own mortality, and her heartbroken family paid tribute to the Brit this week."I can't kill anyone," Sonia messaged her friend. "I thought he'd do it quick and not give my mind time to stew and realise this is the last thing I'll ever day [sic] to anyone if I don't take his offer of shooting him."Sonia's body was found in a shallow grave in Marion County, Florida, one week later. Hall was later arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping.'Gentlest Soul' SoniaSonia loved music, veganism and animals. The youngest of six, she shared a particularly close bond with her sister Sara, a "connection that will never be broken", her family said. "She was raised by her amazing parents in Porchester, surrounded by love every single day. She built a life filled with that same love, especially with her devoted partner of 15 years, Stevie."Sonia was a wonderful aunty bringing fun and love to her nieces and nephews, she also taught them music."Her singing ability was on full display at the Fareham Area Final of the Open Mic UK competition in 2013, and her social media accounts were populated with sweet photos alongside her sisters and friends."She had the gentlest soul - so gentle she chose to become vegan, because she couldn't bear the thought of any animal suffering so she could eat," her family continued. "That was who she was: kind compassionate, and full of quiet love."But behind the camera, Sonia lived with mental health issues.Police documents obtained by the Mirror described one previous incident in 2024 where Exelby planned to travel to the US with the intention of meeting with people online "who would be willing to kill her violently". The attempt was thwarted and Exelby received treatment following a mental health diagnosis.Over the next year, Sonia focused on her health and shared updates with friends and family on social media. "I've never been healthier," she said in a May 2025 Facebook post, discussing her healthier eating. "Who cares about weight, so long as you're eating to become healthier you're doing great."Sonia's last hours aliveWhile Sonia attempted to lead a healthier life, Hall continued to pursue a "mentor" type relationship with her. Court documents said Hall knew Sonia lived with severe mental illness and was suicidal.Hall claimed he wanted to help her and allegedly discussed how to kill her. Sonia landed in Gainesville Regional Airport, Florida on October 10, where she met with Hall and had a return flight booked for the afternoon of October 13 - but she never boarded the plan bound for home.After picking her up, Hall travelled with Sonia to an Airbnb in Reddick that was reserved in her name. Once inside, Hall's claim to be a mentor was challenged by evidence collected during the police investigation.A video obtained by Marion County officers allegedly showed Hall questioning a visibly distressed Sonia about her "deserving to be beaten and ultimately die violently". Police said Hall made the video in a vain bid to protect himself from the consequences of kidnapping and murdering Sonia.Sonia's friends and loved ones raised the alarm with police and said she could have found herself in "an extremely vulnerable situation". Investigators later found evidence on Sonia's computer that indicated she was suicidal and planned on travelling to the US to be "possibly sexually abused, tortured, and murdered".Hall arrestedSonia's body was found in a shallow grave on October 17 with an autopsy carried out the following day determining she died after being stabbed in the torso. The Marion County Medical Examiner ruled her death as a homicide.The autopsy report, obtained by the Mirror, said Sonia's body was "covered in sandy dirt" and that her skin was discoloured with tissue starting to break down. She had been stabbed four times, twice on the left side of her chest and twice on the left side of her back.The medical examiner said the wounds to her torso ranged from four to six inches deep. One wound to her back was reportedly between five and seven inches deep, and the second was estimated to be four to six inches.Meanwhile, police traced Hall's apparent movements on the day he met Sonia and in the hours following her death. Hall bought a shovel, paracord, gun cleaner, 50 feet of rope, and Lume Spray at a Gainsville Walmart before meeting Sonia later that day, court documents said.The next day, Hall's company, Solver Wolfs Roadside Assistance, attempted to charge Sonia's debit card, but that was declined. Hall was driving his 10 years junior wife Ginger Stein to a doctor's appointment when police pulled him over and arrested him.Ginger told the Mirror: "They [police] wouldn't tell me anything though. I just assumed that's what it was because he [Hall] had told me about the credit card being declined and about them contacting him about a stolen credit card and all that."When police quizzed Hall about the debit card, he claimed an unknown woman called him in need of roadside assistance. But DNA results on the shovel handle showed the presence of both Sonia and Hall, police said.Hall charged with murderDuring police interrogation, suspected killer Hall allegedly told officers Sonia had paid him about £3,000 to torture and kill her. Florida Department of Law Enforcement Rebekah McKinzie and Joseph Miller from the Marion County Sheriff's Office carried out the interview with Hall over the course of several hours.At first, Hall reportedly told police he was told to pick up Sonia by the leader of a murderous cult based hidden somewhere in the woods of Florida. He then allegedly told officers the leader had hired him to work on the group's supercars, and that he had sex with Sonia at the Airbnb.He claimed to have then seen Sonia being taken away in a Cadillac Eldorado on the Saturday. Several hours in, Officer Miller told Hall his story "sounds really ridiculous".Following the first phase of questioning, officers left a now handcuffed Hall alone in the integration room with a Burger King meal. Footage showed Hall sobbing into his hands before exclaiming: "Why does this feel like my last meal?"On October 27, during a phone call with Ginger, Hall told her a "Rick" would be sending her a package in six months. Hall had previously messaged Richard "Rick" Snider on Facebook about sending a box to him that contained "two of my most prized possessions".Hall then said he felt "strangely naked without them" before adding: "I don't know what kind of mess it is yet. For now just hold on to the box."Ohio-based Snider later told officers there was an engraved knife and sheath, as well as a bracelet inside the package. Investigators traced the presence of blood on the knife and it was later determined the DNA profile matched Sonia's.Hall was arrested on suspicion of murder and kidnap on November 11.Who is Dwain Hall?Hall's wife Ginger told the Mirror earlier this year: "Dwain's not even the monster that they're making him out to be, let alone me. I didn't even know anything about it." Ginger said she had been "struggling pretty bad" since her on-and-off again partner of 30 years was arrested.She described him as "over half my financial security" following her double lung transplant in August last year. Ginger first met Hall in Ohio when she "just happened to ride by his house" when she was 16 and he was 26."He said 'hi' and I said 'hi' to that and we just kind of conversed from there and then as soon as I turned 18 we started dating," she added. Hall and Ginger moved to Florida 10 years ago and split up briefly before she started to seriously suffer from a health condition that would later require major surgery.Around the time of the move, Ginger was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a cancer-like disorder often found in children but that can affect adults in rare cases. Ginger said she and Hall had an open relationship and that she was unaware he had allegedly been speaking with Sonia.She said: "We were allowed to talk to whoever we wanted to. That's the thing that I am mad at him about. He went to meet her without telling me. We were supposed to tell each other if we met anybody in person; if we made any actual contact. Online is online. Nothing is real online."Ahead of the transplant in August, Ginger said "as soon as I was admitted, I basically died and he, he kind of lost it"."[He] lost his mind when I was in 14 hours of surgery," Ginger said. "The doctors expected only four. And I guess it was super, super scary. The machines that I was on and everything, basically I was being kept alive by machines."They were breathing for me, they were pumping my blood, the machines were just doing everything. I was not there. I talked to him the other day and he's still crying every time he thinks about it."Despite Hall allegedly telling police during interview that he had violent tendencies, and discussed helping Sonia with her alleged plan to die, Ginger claimed he never hurt her and that he treated her like "a queen".Hall pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping. His trial is expected to begin with jury selection on November 16.Sonia's 'quiet love' rememberedSonia's parents spoke about the case publicly for the first time this month, remembering the music tutor as "full of quiet love"."Being around her felt special—she brought a calmness and warmth that made everything feel a little lighter," a statement shared on Sunday said. "Sonia was one of those rare people who made you feel completely safe to be yourself. She never judged, never criticised - she simply accepted people as they were and loved them for it. That is something so many of us will carry with us forever."It continued: "One wrote that they had 'never known a soul with a bigger or purer heart, and nobody made me feel seen quite like she did'. Sonia’s siblings describe her as the 'softest most gentle soul'. She was softly spoken and always gave the best most intense hugs. She was the baby out of us that kept us bound together."When life is difficult, Samaritans are available day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org