New London man pleads guilty to killing wife with hammer in 2022

Yahoo

20-02-2025

A 25-year-old New London man faces up to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to bludgeoning his wife to death with a hammer in a fit of jealousy in 2022.
Inside New London Superior Court, George Dodson pleaded guilty to murdering Shelby Dodson, and leaving the couple's then-13-month-old son inside the family's Sherman Street home after he set it on fire.
In addition to murder, George Dodson pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and risk of injury to a minor as part of a plea agreement that allows his public defender, Michael Miller, to argue for less prison time at his April 30 sentencing.
Dodson, a former U.S. Navy sailor assigned to the USS Newport News submarine homeported in Groton, made his pleas under the Alford doctrine, in which a defendant disputes a prosecutor's version of events but concedes that enough evidence exists for a conviction at trial.
Though Miller has the right to try to argue his client's sentence down to 25 years — the mandatory minimum sentence allowed in the case — Judge John M. Newson made it clear that such a scenario was unlikely.
'Twenty-five (years) is not a reasonable expectation,' Newson said. 'It will be substantially higher.'
Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Stephen M. Carney said police and firefighters were called to 50 Sherman St. on the night of July 20, 2022, and found Dodson outside with a substantial self-inflicted cut to his neck.
Dodson admitted he hit his wife in the back of the head with a hammer after becoming upset over 'relationship issues,' Carney said. Dodson said he proceeded to light several fires inside the home with his toddler still inside a crib.
The child was found lethargic, but otherwise unharmed, in an upper-floor bedroom, Carney said.
Shelby Dodson, who was pronounced dead at the scene, also suffered cut wounds to her neck. She died of blunt force trauma to her head, an autopsy showed.
George Dodson told police that he tried to kill himself in the house but that the flames forced him out.
If he were convicted at trial, Dodson would have faced a maximum sentence of 95 years.
Shelby Dodson's sister, Sylvonna White, has filed a civil lawsuit against her brother-in-law seeking unspecified damages.
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