Portsmouth boyfriend of Sonia Exelby who allegedly flew to US to be murdered says he's “absolutely crushed”

Sonia Exelby, 32, was found stabbed to death with her mutilated body buried in woods in Marion County, Florida, on October 17 after flying out a week earlier, as reported.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Dwain Hall, 53, of Ocala, on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the homicide of missing Sonia. The arrest followed a “swift and intensive investigation that led to the discovery of her remains” in Marion County less than one week after she was reported missing, the FDLE said.

Concerns were raised by Sonia’s loved ones to Hampshire Police which alerted Interpol before American authorities launched its probe and found her butchered remains in a shallow grave. It is alleged that Sonia, who struggled with her mental health, met Hall on a fetish website in 2024 with a view to being tortured and murdered.

Her boyfriend Stevie Hunt wrote on social media last month appealing for information: “I’ve been shown so much love and support from my friends. Sonia Exelby has been missing since Friday. Sonia is such a vulnerable person and really struggling with her mental health. We believe she got on a plane on Friday and made her way to Florida Tallahassee from the UK.

“We believe she has arranged to meet someone there and has got herself into an extremely vulnerable situation. That's all I can really say on that.”

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Now Portsmouth-based Stevie, who was in a relationship with Sonia for 15 years, has revealed how the devastating news on Sonia has been “absolutely crushing for me” with him describing the last few weeks as “torrid”.

Upon finding out the gut-wrenching news, he posted on social media: “A lot of my friends know I'm having an absolutely awful week, the worst week of my life, never really thought I'd be in the situation I'm in.”

But despite being dealt the horror news, Stevie is determined to take part in the upcoming Portsmouth Marathon in December as that is “what my Sonia would have wanted”.

Writing on fundraising page Just Giving, Stevie said: “In the last few weeks my world was rocked when my partner of nearly 15 years passed away.

“I was 50/50 whether to still go through with the run and commit to the training required. After some deep thoughts and talking to friends and family I have decided to commit and go forward with the run because it’s what my Sonia would have wanted.

“I was always going to run for Cats Protection because cats have always been such a big part of our life. If I didn’t go ahead with the run I’d feel like I was letting Sonia down but most importantly the cats, and that’s something Sonia wouldn’t have forgiven me for.

He added: “Bless up Sonia. Let’s get to it.”

FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said: “Our agents worked with extraordinary speed and unwavering determination to ensure justice was served and closure was brought to the victim’s family.

“This type of violent crime and disregard for human life will not be tolerated in our state – those who commit such heinous crimes will be held fully accountable.”

The FDLE said: “The investigation remains active.”