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

[Moonstrawbs]

I’ve been following this case on YT and… wow. The amount of comments suggesting it’s somehow okay because she asked him to do it is baffling. Erm, typically, if someone asks you to murder them, you’d decline, yes? He is obviously a very scary person. JMO.

 

[CS2C]

In hindsight, I just wish she had emailed the Airbnb owner (considering she booked the Airbnb) and said she was being held hostage and to call police, but instead she messaged a friend. Such a awful,tragic and one of the most disturbing cases I have seen.

 

[ErinC]

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

Some religions have prohibitions against suicide, and they don't want family to know they're dead by their own choice. More prosaically, some life insurance won't pay out in the event of a suicide, and they want their families to have the money. MOO

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

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

People with a lot of trauma and feelings of guilt. I don't know about this particular woman, but picture parents who've lost a child and blame themselves. They sometimes are suicidal and seek death that brings them suffering, sometimes the same way they imagine their child suffered.

If this is woman was suicidal, it's very sad that she came into contact with someone who took advantage of that.

MOO.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

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.

Nothing I have read about this suggests psychosis. The facts I've read suggest the opposite actually. It isn't unheard of for people who are severely depressed to want to suffer when they die. It usually comes from a place of guilt, most often inappropriate guilt.

 

[Mauig’ma]

Nothing I have read about this suggests psychosis. The facts I've read suggest the opposite actually. It isn't unheard of for people who are severely depressed to want to suffer when they die. It usually comes from a place of guilt, most often inappropriate guilt.

Ok I see. I get the idea of feeling guilty and wanting to suffer. But to be violently killed? Idk. That’s crazy to me. Wouldn’t being shot and left to bleed out be painful enough? I’d think there would be other ways not as violent. Moo

 

[Lucy6226]

The fact they met on a fetish site makes me wonder if this was some kind of kink fantasy for her. Not realising that he would actually go through with it until the end. Regardless if someone 'consents' it's still murder and imo he took advantage of her vulnerability.

 

[sunspun]

In hindsight, I just wish she had emailed the Airbnb owner (considering she booked the Airbnb) and said she was being held hostage and to call police, but instead she messaged a friend. Such a awful,tragic and one of the most disturbing cases I have seen.

I missed that about messaging her friend. Was that while she was with the killer?

 

[CS2C]

I missed that about messaging her friend. Was that while she was with the killer?

Yeah Sunspun, he was in the shower, she had patchy internet connection but managed to send a panicked message on discord to a friend, saying she couldn't escape. If only she had emailed the Airbnb host...God, it could and should have been so different. If she had told the host she was being held at gunpoint, please call the police,urgent. It's likely she could have been saved.

 

[CS2C]

The fact they met on a fetish site makes me wonder if this was some kind of kink fantasy for her. Not realising that he would actually go through with it until the end. Regardless if someone 'consents' it's still murder and imo he took advantage of her vulnerability.

Also makes me wonder about the friend/boyfriend of 15 years? On her facebook it lists "single" but I read some reports that they had been in a relationship for 15 years. Looking at his FB he makes some quite odd,violent art. Makes me wonder if he knew she was going to Florida to meet this guy (pure speculation of course)

 

[sunspun]

Yeah Sunspun, he was in the shower, she had patchy internet connection but managed to send a panicked message on discord to a friend, saying she couldn't escape. If only she had emailed the Airbnb host...God, it could and should have been so different. If she had told the host she was being held at gunpoint, please call the police,urgent. It's likely she could have been saved.

Wonder if she knew she could have dialed 911 even with no service? How sad.

 

[Bigditch]

The fact they met on a fetish site makes me wonder if this was some kind of kink fantasy for her. Not realising that he would actually go through with it until the end. Regardless if someone 'consents' it's still murder and imo he took advantage of her vulnerability.

I can't imagine it was him she thought she was getting ...

 

[formerlyme]

I too feel that perhaps it was her mental illness made it difficult for her to differentiate a fantasy escape from the truth and this psycho she met up took it all the way he probably felt like he hit the lottery... her maybe she just felt an escape into some off world ... not being killed in the real world I don't quite know how to word it but feel she wasn't able to separate fetish fantasy from real life.

 

[Bigditch]

The thing I don't understand is wasn't Shelby the person who rented the airbnb? How did he confine her? How come she couldn't escape? I don't remember if it was in the middle of nowhere. Did he pick her up at the airport? Questions galore...

 

[formerlyme]

The thing I don't understand is wasn't Shelby the person who rented the airbnb? How did he confine her? How come she couldn't escape? I don't remember if it was in the middle of nowhere. Did he pick her up at the airport? Questions galore...

Tried to find all the articles to support the answers, but I can't find the one saying she and he communicated for a few years. So she probably felt she knew him.
this article states he picked her up at airport and that she had paid for the airbnb. I have heard it mentioned as a cabin but have not been able to find that article again. I don't think taking her passport would keep her there maybe she was just scared to run...

Florida man arrested after UK woman allegedly pays him to torture, kill her: Affidavit

A woman from the United Kingdom who was reported missing after traveling to the United States has been found dead in Florida. A Florida man has been arrested in her death.

www.fox35orlando.com

 

[formerlyme]

Ok, here is an article stating that she knew this man "online" for about 2 years. She probably built up some sort of trust sadly.

Marion County man pleads not guilty to torturing and killing woman from United Kingdom

Marion County resident has pleaded not guilty to charges of torturing and killing Sonia Exelby, a woman from the United Kingdom.

www.wftv.com

 

[Dotta]

I wonder what the diagnosis of the victim's MH was back in the UK.

As the woman had tried this scenario earlier,
but family intervened and she had some kind of therapy.

Was she under constant psychiatric care?

I guess
the murderer's Defence will certainly focus on it during the trial.

I guess he will also get psychiatric evaluation.

JMO

 

[formerlyme]

I wonder what the diagnosis of the victim's MH was back in the UK.

As the woman had tried this scenario earlier,
but family intervened and she had some kind of therapy.

Was she under the constant psychiatric care?

I guess
the murderer's Defence will certainly focus on it during the trial.

I guess he will also get psychiatric evaluation.

JMO

I seriously hope that her mental illness does not help him, if anything knowing her mental instability shows he took advantage. just so disgusting. and he probably will try some defense of mental illness. However, he did too many things that show he knew what he was doing and preplanned. Hopefully they will get the chats from the site they met on or at least an email trail though these days folks use those disappearing communications.