A St. Louis jury found Stephen Cannon guilty of first-degree murder, robbery, burglary and three counts of armed criminal action in Dorn’s June 2, 2020 killing.
Dorn, 77, was shot outside Lee’s Jewelry & Pawn shop when he showed up to stop looters who had descended on the business during the George Floyd riots.
Here’s the sign that was posted at the pawn shop after Dorn was murdered.
Prosecutors argued that as looters ransacked the shelves of the pawn shop, Cannon fled to the street corner, crouched and fired 10 shots at Dorn, killing him.
Dorn’s wife, Ann Dorn herself a 28-year police veteran, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
“I’m very thankful to the jurors who saw the truth and all the evidence…I don’t want to say we can move on. There’s never going to be full closure, but it brings us peace.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:
“David Dorn was a friend of the shop’s owner and regularly checked on its burglar alarms typically tripped by critters or storms, Ann Dorn said. He retired from St. Louis police in 2007 after 38 years and also served for six years as police chief in Moline Acres.
His death drew attention nationwide, including from the White House.
Dorn’s final moments, as he lay dying on the sidewalk, were captured on a Facebook livestream.
Liddell Chapple, the man who recorded the video, reacted in immediate disbelief that someone had killed Dorn over TVs. He testified to what he saw as a lack of value for human life “over materialistic stuff.””
Cannon’s sentencing is set for Sept. 13. The mandatory sentence is life in prison without parole since prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.