James Skelley

Officer

New Britain

End of Watch: 10/12/1924

Officer Skelly, an 18-year veteran of the department, was mortally wounded while responding to a report of two intruders on the premises of a store. The murder attracted national attention because one of the accomplices was public enemy #1 at that time.

Officer James Skelly, an 18-year veteran of the department, was mortally wounded on October 12, 1924, when he responded to a call reporting two intruders on the premises of a store.

This murder attracted national attention because one of the accomplices in the crime was Gerald Chapman, who was public enemy #1 at that time. Officer Skelly’s murder was just one crime in Chapman’s long criminal history. Although he maintained his innocence in this case, a jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to death for the crime. Chapman was hanged in Connecticut State Prison in 1926.