Two years after the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots, the killer of retired St. Louis Police Capt. David Dorn has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The killer, Stephan Cannon, was convicted of the slaying back in July. Cannon shot and killed the 77-year-old Dorn while the latter was responding to a break-in at a friend’s pawn shop during looting and rioting on the night of June 2, 2020.
On top of the first-degree murder conviction, Cannon was also found guilty of burglary, robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. The jury took three hours to decide Cannon’s fate, with the first-degree murder charge carrying a mandatory punishment of life imprisonment, according to KSDK-TV.
Dorn’s widow and family were present in the courtroom during the sentencing on Wednesday.
His widow, Ann Dorn, stated that her husband “became a victim of the very thing he fought against.” Dorn’s son, Brian Powell, addressed the killer directly, saying, “You still have time to get everything together and make amends with your maker.”
Dorn’s daughter Lisa also spoke out in court, making a poignant tribute to her father, who served 38 years in the St. Louis police force. Lisa lamented that he was “murdered by the type of young man my father tried to save.”
SAD REALITY: The widow of former police captain David Dorn reacts to the sentencing of her late husband’s murderer. https://t.co/VLxHvrHQZk pic.twitter.com/k4ULNzrIRi
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 6, 2022
After the sentence was handed down, Cannon apologized to the Dorn family while also pleading his innocence. Cannon’s lawyer described his client as a “loving father and a loving son” and said he is not the one who shot Dorn.
On the fateful night of Dorn’s murder, four St. Louis police officers were shot but survived their wounds.
Is this a just sentence?
Yes: 67% (2 Votes)
No: 33% (1 Votes)
In the wake of George Floyd’s death and the riots that followed, St. Louis recorded 31 murders.
Many of the rioters who were arrested were subsequently released by the city’s progressive top prosecutor, Kim Gardner. Her tenure has been marked by a dramatic increase in violent crime as her office fails to prosecute violent offenders.
