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St. Louis Man Convicted in David Dorn’s Murder Sentenced To Life In Prison

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Stephan Cannon has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of former St. Louis Police Capt. David Dorn.

“Cannon was convicted of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, stealing $750 or more, unlawful possession of a firearm, and three counts of armed criminal action – all felonies,” Fox News reported.

“According to KSDK’s Christine Byers, Cannon was sentenced to life without parole on the first-degree murder charge,” the report added.

Dorn’s son, Brian Powell, also spoke during the sentencing.

“I hope your eyes are woke. You still have time to get everything together and make amends with your maker,” he said.

Earlier this summer, a jury found Cannon guilty on all counts of killing Dorn during a night of looting and rioting in June 2020.

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“Justice has been served,” his family told reporters outside the courthouse in videos posted online.

“Cannon was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, stealing $750 or more, unlawful possession of a firearm, and three counts of armed criminal action – all felonies,” Fox News reported. “Dorn, 77, was responding to a burglar alarm at a friend’s pawn shop when he encountered a group of looters outside.”

“Cannon, the man who prosecutors say shot Dorn dead and left him on the sidewalk, was among a half dozen men charged in connection with the incident. The aftermath was allegedly caught on video. Cannon’s public defender Brian Horneyer had argued in his opening remarks that there was no physical evidence linking his client to the killing and said the state’s main witness, also charged with a slew of felonies, had told detectives he would say “anything” to get a plea deal and escape a murder conviction,” the outlet added.

After the tragic killing, investigators reportedly recovered a pistol, televisions, and pieces of Cannon’s dreadlocks from an apartment where he was staying. Police did not find the handgun that Cannon allegedly used in the shooting.

Dorn had served 38 years in St. Louis’ Metropolitan Police Department and six more as chief in Moline Acres.

“I’m very glad that justice was served for Capt. Dorn,” said Paul Mauro, an attorney and former NYPD inspector who has been closely following the case. “But make no mistake – the conditions that allowed his killing should never have occurred.”

Ann Dorn, the widow of Capt. Dorn, spoke on the final night of the Republican National Convention in August 2020.

She threw her support behind then-President Donald Trump, crediting him for offering “federal help to restore order in our communities.”

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Capt. Dorn was fatally shot outside Lee’s Pawn Shop in St. Louis. He was a friend of the shop owner and would often go to check on the business when the security alarms went off.

In her speech before the RNC, Ann Dorn recalled that “the alarm that went off on June 2 was for real.”

“After I had gone to bed, Dave received a call from Lee’s alarm company,” she said. “The front door of the pawn shop had been breached. This time, he didn’t wake me up to tell me. He probably knew I would have tried to stop him or insisted on going with him.”

“I relive that horror in my mind every single day,” Dorn told the convention. “My hope is that having you relive it with me now will help shake this country from the nightmare we are witnessing in our cities and bring about positive, peaceful change.”

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“How did we get to this point where so many young people are so callous and indifferent towards human life?” she said. “This isn’t a video game where you can commit mayhem and then hit “reset” and bring all the characters back to life. David is never coming back. He was murdered by people who didn’t know, and didn’t care, that he would have done anything to help them.”

“Violence and destruction are not legitimate forms of protest,” the late police officer’s widow said. “They do not safeguard Black lives. They destroy them.”

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