Background: Shelby Dodson and her son (GoFundMe). Inset: George Dodson (New London Police Department).
A Connecticut man who admitted to murdering his wife and setting their home on fire after they agreed to an open marriage has been sentenced to decades in prison.
George Dodson, 26, a former member of the U.S. Navy, pleaded guilty in February to the 2022 murder of his wife, 23-year-old Shelby Dodson, according to a press release from the state’s attorney’s office. He also pleaded guilty to arson as well as endangering the life of the couple’s toddler. According to a police report obtained by local news outlet CT Insider, George Dodson told a paramedic at the scene of the fire, “I did this, I killed her.” The report stated that he made the same confession after being read his Miranda rights.
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According to local NBC affiliate WVIT, the police report said that George Dodson revealed that he and his wife had agreed to an open marriage. He reportedly told officers, “We opened up our relationship and she found another man she loved more, and I could not stand the thought of it, so I killed her.”
According to prosecutors, New London police responded to reports of a fire at the family’s home on July 20, 2022. While firefighters were able to put the fire out, they found the body of Shelby Dodson inside with “significant trauma to her head and torso.” Also inside was the couple’s then-13-month-old son, who was in his crib while the fire raged. He was safely removed from the home.
George Dodson told police that he intended to kill himself as well as his wife and son, according to previous reporting by CT Insider. After bludgeoning his wife to death with a hammer, he slashed his own throat. His injuries were not deemed life-threatening.
On Feb. 19, George Dodson pleaded guilty to murder, arson, and endangering the life of a minor. A judge sentenced him on Wednesday to 50 years in prison.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential, and available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
