Two Teachers of the Year Behind Bars for Heinous Crimes Against Children | Crime Alert 6AM 12.05.25

Two 'Teachers of the Year' arrested for crimes against children.  A Florida man is behind bars for murdering a woman who allegedly flew from the United Kingdom to be killed. Sydney Sumner reports. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alart hourly update breaking crime news Now, I'm Sidney Sumner.
Two Southern teachers of the Year are now facing crimes
related to children. An Alabama elementary school teacher was arrested
this week and charged with willful abuse of a child
under eighteen after a video went viral showing her allegedly
beating a boy with a belt more than twenty times.

(00:22):
Cottage Chill Christian Academy said the boy was Nicole Staples's son,
and the incident took place at her home. In the video,
the woman identified as Staples yell's obscenities at the child
and beats him for not finishing his chores. She's also
seen slamming the boy to the ground by his hair
and jerking him back up again. The viral videos described
as very disturbing and hard to watch. The school said

(00:44):
it placed Staples, forty four, on administrative leave when it
learned about the allegations, and fired her when she was arrested.
School administrator Chris Brizel said, quote, Cottage Chill Christian Academy
prioritizes the well being of children above all else. We
will always act promptly, transparently, and responsibly when matters arise
that may impact the safety or integrity of our school community.

(01:06):
The school said it was cooperating with state and local
officials as they continue their investigation. Staples was a second
grade teacher at the school and named co Teacher of
the Year in May. Staples is to appear in court
for a bond hearing in the coming days. A former
South Carolina teacher who sent over sixty love letters to
a student he stocked has pleaded guilty to harassment. Twenty

(01:29):
seven year old Dylan Robert Dukes admitted in court Wednesday
he contacted the victim after she left Star Elementary School
in Anderson County. After realizing she would no longer attend
the school, he joined her church. Dukes also engaged in
a string of obsessive behavior, including writing the love letters,
presenting the student with gifts and unwanted hucks, beginning all

(01:50):
the way back in twenty twenty three. In July twenty
twenty four, the victim's mother stated that her daughter became
uncomfortable as Dukes began showing up at functions he should
not have been at the saute. My child has had
to endure moments of uncomfortability in places like church, school,
and sports, where my child should be comfortable and able
to enjoy being a child. Investigators said Duke's behavior had

(02:12):
been leading toward criminal sexual conduct. A news released by
the Sheriff's office stated detectives were able to stop the
harassment in Stoking before it became anything physical, which the
juvenile was in fear of. According to the Anderson County
Sheriff's Office, investigators searched Duke's classroom and found photos of
the child which were not sexual in nature. Police then

(02:33):
arrested Dukes and charged him with stocking. During wednesday's plea hearing,
Duke's pleaded guilty to first degree harassment. A judge sentenced
him to three years behind bars, which was suspended to
five years of probation. He's also required to surrender his
teaching certificate and undergo mental health counseling. The judge also
approved a permanent restraining order which prohibits any contact with

(02:54):
the victim. Star Elementary named Duke's teacher of the Year
for the twenty twenty three to twenty twenty four schools.
More crime and justice news after this, A Florida man
is behind bars for murdering a woman who allegedly flew
from the United Kingdom to be killed. Sonia Exelby was
reportedly experiencing mental health issues when she met Dwayne Hall

(03:17):
fifty three, on a fetish site where she sought someone
to abuse her. Exelby flew from the United Kingdom to
Florida a week before her body was found in a
shallow grave out of Marian Oak's home on October seventeenth.
Alarms were raised before Exelby's body was discovered because she
failed to board a flight back home. On October thirteenth.
Fingerprints were taken from the body to confirm it was Exelby.

(03:40):
An autopsy concluded Exelby was fatally stabbed four times with
a knife. Hall was recorded in jail calls telling his
wife to keep an eye out for a package from
an Ohio friend in six months. This led to the
discovery of Facebook messages that Hall allegedly sent from jail
to the friend, who lives in Ohio. Authorities eventually obtained
the package, which reportedly contained a knife stained with Exelby's blood.

(04:03):
Investigator said the Facebook messages Hall sent to the friend
showed that Hall was controlling her, that she was afraid
and had made a mistake. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Hall
purchasing a shovel, which was later recovered from his home.
The shovel not only contained his in Exelby's DNA, but
a label for a shovel was found in the shallow grave.
The label matched the brand of shovel Hall was seen

(04:25):
purchasing in the surveillance footage. While Hall initially denied knowing Exelby,
records indicated that his business build expenses on Exelby's bank card. Additionally,
license plate readers confirmed Hall's vehicle picked up Exelby from
the Gainesville Airport on October tenth. According to investigators, bank
records and surveillance footage also established that Hall bought a

(04:46):
shovel right before picking up Exelby from the airport. Eventually,
Hall allegedly confessed to meeting Exelby on a fetish site
two years earlier. He claimed that he was acting as
a mentor to Exelby and was trying to convince her
not to kill herself. He reportedly also admitted to having
sex with Xelby at an airbnb. Hall also stated that
he had some violent tendencies. Investigators recovered a video Hall

(05:10):
deleted which showed Hall asking Xelby, covered in bruises, why
she was there. X'lby responded, because I'm an awful person.
I've crushed everyone whoever loves me. X'lby allegedly sent this
message to a friend on discord on October eleventh. He
made it clear there was no way out unless I
shoot him. I was questioning it last night. I thought

(05:30):
he'd do it quick and not give my mind time
to stew. Authorities in the United Kingdom said Xelby looked
for someone to kill her last year, but she was
stopped and underwent treatment. Hall was charged with first degree murder, kidnapping,
credit card fraud, and unlawful use of a communication device.
A judge denied him bond earlier this week. For the
latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure to follow

(05:52):
the Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app
with this crime Alert. I'm Sidney Sumner.