FL - Man accused of killing suicidal British woman who traveled to the US seeking a violent death - October, 2025

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1991014980863377703

"A Florida man
has been accused of sexually abusing, torturing and murdering a suicidal woman
who arrived from the United Kingdom seeking a violent death.

Sonia Exelby, 32,
was reported missing by loved ones in Portsmouth, UK, after she failed to board her return flight out of Gainesville Regional Airport on October 13.

UK authorities contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement alleging
that Exelby was suicidal and had plans to meet someone that would violently kill her.

Her body was found in a shallow grave days later."

 

[Mauig’ma]

Wth is wrong with people? Who on Gods earth would want someone to violently kill them as a way of suicide? That’s insane to me

 

[sunspun]

I wonder if she was really serious about wanting to be murdered, because it said she "failed to board her return flight out of Florida".

Meaning she bought a round trip ticket?

But she must have told someone at home that that was the reason she was going to Florida, because it said, "UK authorities contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement alleging that Exelby was suicidal and had plans to meet someone that would violently kill her."

Or maybe they found evidence on her devices left back in the UK that talked about her wanting this.

But still, to have bought a round trip ticket implies she planned to return home. Maybe.

 

[Mauig’ma]

I wonder if she was really serious about wanting to be murdered, because it said she "failed to board her return flight out of Florida".

Meaning she bought a round trip ticket?

But she must have told someone at home that that was the reason she was going to Florida, because it said, "UK authorities contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement alleging that Exelby was suicidal and had plans to meet someone that would violently kill her."

Or maybe they found evidence on her devices left back in the UK that talked about her wanting this.

But still, to have bought a round trip ticket implies she planned to return home. Maybe.

Yeah that is confusing. Maybe she intended to return home only if her plan fizzled out. Moo edit to say it worked! So sorry it ended this way. God bless her and rest easy

 

[Rikissa]

Even if it's possible for European citizens to travel to the U.S. on a one-way ticket, there is always a risk that the U.S. immigration officers will refuse to allow a person permission to enter, especially those travelling on a visa waiver program. If a traveller wants to be sure to be allowed to enter the U.S. they better have a return ticket. There have been cases lately where people have been refused entry, and have ended up locked in an immigration facility, before being sent home.

From the US Embassy in the UK - I don't know why the link says "Technical difficulties"):

Technical Difficulties

 

[mdande2]

I wonder if she was really serious about wanting to be murdered, because it said she "failed to board her return flight out of Florida".

Meaning she bought a round trip ticket?

But she must have told someone at home that that was the reason she was going to Florida, because it said, "UK authorities contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement alleging that Exelby was suicidal and had plans to meet someone that would violently kill her."

Or maybe they found evidence on her devices left back in the UK that talked about her wanting this.

But still, to have bought a round trip ticket implies she planned to return home. Maybe.

in some cases it is cheaper to purchase a round trip ticket vs a one way

 

[sunspun]

Even if it's possible for European citizens to travel to the U.S. on a one-way ticket, there is always a risk that the U.S. immigration officers will refuse to allow a person permission to enter, especially those travelling on a visa waiver program. If a traveller wants to be sure to be allowed to enter the U.S. they better have a return ticket. There have been cases lately where people have been refused entry, and have ended up locked in an immigration facility, before being sent home.

From the US Embassy in the UK - I don't know why the link says "Technical difficulties"):

Technical Difficulties

Ah, I see. That probably had something to do with it then!

 

[Dotta]

This case is so horrific & morbid
that I'm simply speechless

It seems to me
the man took advantage of the poor MH, possibly severe depression, of the woman
to fulfill his own sick, violent fantasy.
They had "met" on the Internet "on a fetish site" 2 years prior.

Rest in Peace to the poor Victim.
Condolences to Family.
I cannot imagine what they are going through
I wish them strength.


ETA

Behind paywall

https://twitter.com/x/status/1991219382756753620

 

[formerlyme]

My heart breaks she was so beautiful and young and he is so , no words..... if only her family had caught her before she left. this article says she tried this before and got treatment in 2024. Florida man arrested after UK woman allegedly pays him to torture, kill her: Affidavit

 

[Gordon_]

Even if it's possible for European citizens to travel to the U.S. on a one-way ticket, there is always a risk that the U.S. immigration officers will refuse to allow a person permission to enter, especially those travelling on a visa waiver program. If a traveller wants to be sure to be allowed to enter the U.S. they better have a return ticket. There have been cases lately where people have been refused entry, and have ended up locked in an immigration facility, before being sent home.

From the US Embassy in the UK - I don't know why the link says "Technical difficulties"):

Technical Difficulties

Yeah they rarely actually check it but it can happen, so makes sense for her to have book a return.
Also many of those deals that sell you a ticket are packaged as round trips. So maybe she just bought the first deal she saw.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1991672404230222123

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT

 

[ChanceEncounterx]

so weird....people are so broken

 

[sunspun]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1991672404230222123

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT

is that the alleged killer on the right?

who's in the pic w/her on the left?

 

[Rikissa]

is that the alleged killer on the right?

who's in the pic w/her on the left?

Alleged killer on the right, her boyfriend back in the UK on the left. Her boyfriend reported her missing when she didn't arrive back home from Florida.

 

[Dotta]

This seems to me the severest case of self harm.



At first,
I thought clinical depression,
but such people usually are even unable to get out of bed,
let alone organize a trip abroad or engage via Internet chatrooms.

I suspect
some kinds of severe MH issues manifesting in:
self hatred, masochism (fetish website), self harm and suicidal ideation.

I'm surprised the victim was not under constant care of a psychiatrist.
I mean,
if she had been planning such a thing earlier and had a therapy.
(Not very successful it seems.)

This is terrible.

Unfortunately,
she met a violent, ruthless man with murderous fixation,
seemingly not right in the head himself

But it is Only My Opinion
as I'm NOT a MH specialists.

 

[formerlyme]

is that the alleged killer on the right?

who's in the pic w/her on the left?

that is her boyfriend (of some time I think ) Stevie, he is one who alerted authorities.

 

[thefragile7393]

This makes absolutely zero sense. None of it does. yes there’s so many depraved ppl, but this type of bizarre mental illness with her is new to me. Lordy

 

[thefragile7393]

This seems to me the severest case of self harm.



At first,
I thought clinical depression,
but such people usually are even unable to get out of bed,
let alone organize a trip abroad or engage via Internet chatrooms.

I suspect
some kinds of severe MH issues manifesting in:
self hatred, masochism (fetish website), self harm and suicidal ideation.

I'm surprised the victim was not under constant care of a psychiatrist.
I mean,
if she had been planning such a thing earlier and had a therapy.
(Not very successful it seems.)

This is terrible.

Unfortunately,
she met a violent, ruthless man with murderous fixation,
seemingly not right in the head himself

But it is Only My Opinion
as I'm NOT a MH specialists.

That’s one I wouldn’t call depression totally but that’s my opinion. Depression with psychotic features? Of course I can’t diagnose….so feel free to ignore me.

I mean yes that appears be a component of it but there’s so much more going on here. I don’t know I clearly can’t unpack it , and this is one that I think even my colleagues with higher degrees than I would have a hard time figuring out.

 

[Lwieckowicz]

Sounds more like a psychotic disorder, maybe something she was able to mask many of the symptoms of for some time, something family may have not fully realized either.

I used to work in mental facilities and I have heard and seen things that you would think no human would ever do that or want to do that, and then proceed to have many normal conversations and experiences with the same person at a different point in time.

MOO but seems like a complex mental issue

 

[RobertCatesby]

This sounds like Sharon Lopatka case from a while back, I think that was the first big investigation that used emails as their primary evidence in 1996.