Anthony Matthew Hartley, a 40-year-old homeless military veteran known around Portland for small gestures of kindness, is being remembered again this week after the man accused of killing him was found guilty except for insanity. The case, which began with a daylight stabbing in Old Town in 2022, now ends with the defendant committed to state psychiatric care under lifetime supervision.
Judge commits defendant to state hospital
On March 18, 2026, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Nan Waller found Dorian A. Cannon guilty except for insanity of second-degree murder and ordered him committed to the Oregon State Hospital under the Psychiatric Security Review Board’s lifetime supervision. In court, Cannon said he had stopped taking his prescribed medication before the killing and, according to reporting, told the judge, “I’m extremely sorry for what I have done.” As reported by OregonLive.
Where the attack happened
Hartley was stabbed just before 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2022, at the intersection of West Burnside Street and Northwest Third Avenue in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police officers detained Cannon about three blocks away and booked him into the Multnomah County Jail shortly after the attack. As reported by KPTV.
Family remembers a man who spread small joys
Friends and relatives have described Hartley as upbeat and generous, saying he talked about making and handing out smiley-face pins to strangers to brighten their days, a small plan that has come to symbolize how he moved through the city. Loved ones have held vigils and told reporters that the loss still cuts deep, even as the court process reaches its official conclusion. As reported by OregonLive.
A record of arrests and missed treatment
Court records and prior reporting show Cannon has a long history of arrests and mental health contacts, including earlier convictions for threatening TriMet drivers and a 2020 sentence of one year and four months in prison. Local coverage has tracked how Cannon moved in and out of hospitals and the state system, and advocates say his case underscores long-standing gaps in the county’s ability to keep seriously ill people connected with treatment. As reported by Willamette Week.
What a guilty-except-for-insanity finding means
Under Oregon law, a verdict of guilty except for insanity places a person under the jurisdiction of the Psychiatric Security Review Board rather than imposing a standard prison sentence. The board typically commits the person to the Oregon State Hospital and oversees any conditional release into the community. The PSRB holds hearings, monitors treatment and can revoke release if someone is found to be a danger to the public, according to state guidance. See the Psychiatric Security Review Board for details.
For Hartley’s family and friends, the legal outcome does not erase the loss. The PSRB will oversee Cannon’s custody and any future reviews, and victims’ family members are notified of PSRB hearings and may take part in that process as it continues.
