Man convicted in David Dorn’s death sentenced to life
ST. LOUIS (KMOV) – The man convicted of killing a retired St. Louis police captain has been sentenced to life in prison.
Stephan Cannon, 26, spoke for the first time in court, insisting he is not the person who shot and killed (Ret.) Police Captain David Dorn.
“I’m sorry for the family’s loss, but this ain’t justice,” he said. “Mark Jackson knows who did this.”
Jackson was at the crime scene and was a witness in Cannon’s trial. Jackson’s Pontiac G6 was swapped for DNA and ten fingerprints were lifted. You can read more about witness testimony here.
Despite his plea, the Judge Theresa Counts Burke sentenced Cannon to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the maximum sentence allowed under the law. Cannon is facing an additional 30 years in prison for the five other charges he was convicted on, including robbery and burglary.
“It meant everything to us, just to hear the words of life without parole, to know that Stephan Cannon will never be able to do this to a family again,” said Lisa Dorn, Dorn’s daughter. “It gave us some relief and peace.”
In July, Stephan Cannon was convicted on six counts, including the first-degree murder of David Dorn. Prosecutors said Cannon shot and killed Dorn in 2020 at Lee’s Pawn Shop during the unrest in the wake of the George Floyd protests.
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, members of Dorn’s family addressed Cannon directly, reading statements expressing the pain and suffering they’ve endured since Dorn’s death.
His daughter Lisa told the court Dorn was killed by the same kind of young man he spent his career trying to mentor and help.
“I’m glad justice was served today, it’s just sad, no one wins in this situation,” said Brian Powell, Dorn’s son who also spoke directly to Cannon. Powell and his brother worked with young people through city sports leagues for nearly 20 years, hoping to make a positive impact on their lives.
“We saw kids just like Stephan Cannon and we tried our best to help as many kids as we could, can like Stephan Cannon,” Powell said. “But my mom always said, you can’t save everybody. This is one of the young men that fell through the crack.”
Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner declined to pursue the death penalty, something David’s widow, Ann Dorn, said she wanted to see. However, Dorn said she’s satisfied with the sentence handed down Wednesday.
“The city lost a great man when he was killed,” she said.
Cannon’s family was not present in the courtroom. Cannon’s mother reached out to News 4 to say her son is innocent and she is fighting to get him out of prison.
Cannon’s attorney indicated an appeal is likely in the case.
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