Stephan Cannon was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2020 murder of former St. Louis Police Captain David Dorn, KSDK reported on Wednesday.
In July, Stephan Cannon was convicted collectively of murder, robbery, and burglary in the first-degree including stealing $750 or more, unlawful possession of a firearm and three counts of armed criminal offenses. Judge Theresa Counts Burke sentenced Cannon to life in prison without parole, according to KSDK.
Along with a life-sentence, Cannon also received 16 years for armed criminal action, 10 years for robbery, and another 5 years for burglary, per Fox News.
Dorn's daughter Lisa reportedly asked Judge Burke to sentence Cannon to life in prison as a birthday present for her father, whose birthday would have been later this month. Dorn was "murdered by the type of young man [her] father tried to save," Lisa continued, saying her father would have tried to mentor Cannon, according to KSDK reporter Christine Byers who was present during his sentencing.
During Cannon's sentencing, Dorn's wife, Ann Wood-Dorn, echoed her daughter's statement, saying her husband "became a victim of the very thing he fought against." Dorn's murder reportedly triggered PTSD in Ann who said she had not received her pension after retiring from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) after 28 years forcing her to move out of her house.
Brian Powell, one of Dorn’s sons, reportedly told Cannon, “I hope your eyes are woke. You still have time to get everything together and make amends with your maker," Byers reported.
Cannon, whose family was not present during his sentencing, apologized to the Dorn family though insisted he did not kill Dorn. Similarly, Cannon's attorney said his client was "not the person" that murdered the former police captain.
In June 2020, following the George Floyd riots, Dorn responded to a burglary alarm at a friend's pawn shop where he was confronted by rioters looting the store. Cannon, who was present among other rioters, reportedly fired ten shots at Dorn who was struck by four shots and later succumbed to his injuries, according to police. Four other police officers suffered injuries but survived the shooting. Footage from the aftermath of Dorn's shooting, which was publicly available on Facebook Live before its removal, was played during the trial by prosecutors.
The former police captain served 38 years in the St. Louis Police Department followed by six years as police chief in Moline Acres before retiring in 2014.
"For the young man to not even give Dave a chance you know to talk to him, to just shoot him for no reason," Ann Dorn told Fox 2 shortly after Cannon's July conviction. "Once he retired as a policeman, I never thought I’d ever get that knock on the door. I’m not going to let his memory die. I’m going to carry his name on in helping first responders and try and get the respect back."
