NEW LONDON, CT — A Navy sailor has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for murdering his wife and setting their home on fire while their infant son was inside, following a guilty plea in a 2022 homicide and arson case that shocked the New London community.
George Dodson, 26, pleaded guilty to murder, arson, and risk of injury to a minor in connection with the death of his wife, 23-year-old Shelby Dodson, on July 20, 2022.
The Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice announced the sentencing Wednesday.
Police and fire crews responded to the couple’s residence on Sherman Street just after 10:30 p.m. following a 911 call reporting a possible structure fire.
Emergency personnel found Shelby Dodson with critical injuries inside the home. She was pronounced dead at the scene. First responders located a 13-month-old baby boy in a second-floor crib and rescued him from the burning house.
The child was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and later transferred to Yale New Haven Hospital for further evaluation. His injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening.
George Dodson was discovered in the backyard of the property with non-life-threatening injuries. During police interviews, he admitted to killing his wife with a hammer and setting the fire out of jealousy.
According to court records, Dodson told investigators that the couple had opened their relationship and that his wife had fallen in love with another man.
Dodson, a second-class petty officer, had served in the U.S. Navy for five years and was stationed in Connecticut for three years, according to Navy spokesperson Lt. Seth Koenig.
The Office of the New London State’s Attorney issued a statement acknowledging the gravity of the crime and expressing hope that the sentence would bring some measure of closure to the victim’s loved ones.
