James Dorr (Brown Co. Jail)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – James Dorr will spend the rest of his life in a secure mental health facility for killing his addiction sponsor and dog, after serving a three year prison term for a drug conviction, a judge ruled Friday.
Dorr, 36, pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to counts of first-degree intentional homicide and mistreatment of animals for the Jan. 28, 2025, murder of Duane VandenAvond. He also pleaded no contest to counts of resisting arrest and methamphetamine possession.
Prosecutors agreed to the so-called insanity plea resolution, choosing not to contest a pair of reports diagnosing Dorr with mental illnesses. That resulted in the commitment to the mental health facility instead of a prison term for the murder.
Before the sentence was issued, Dorr called VandenAvond a “great man” who helped him with his addiction.
He read a letter he wrote to VandenAvond.
“I dread looking back at what I did the day I took you away. It still keeps me up at night, and it should. The ultimate sin turned me into a killer. Thank you for always watching over me. I don’t always have my thoughts right, but I know it’s right to say ‘I’m sorry’ for you and Benji. I live every day better than the last to become a better person and let go and let God in my life,” Dorr said.
The sentence is broken into several elements:
- For the conviction on possession of methamphetamine, Dorr was sentenced to three years in prison. That sentence starts after an unrelated drug sentence ends Sept. 3, 2027.
- For the conviction of resisting arrest, Dorr was sentenced to one year in prison, but that will be served at the same time as the meth count.
- The lifetime commitment to the secure mental facility for deaths of VandenAvond and the dog will start after those other sentences are completed, Judge Marc Hammer ruled.
The issue of restitution was not finalized Friday.
Dorr is currently being held at the Waupun Correctional Institution, state records show.
According to the criminal complaint, police were called to an apartment on Capitol Drive, where they found VandenAvond laying on the ground in a doorway. Police also found a poodle, Benji, dead under a bed. Police found Dorr’s wallet at the scene and he was arrested after an officer saw him walking on Mason Street.
When interviewed by police, Dorr admitted to the stabbings.
“I asked if he stabbed him. He said, “yeah I did, and his dog too.” I asked him to explain how that happened. He said he was having thoughts and seeing his daughter and daughter’s mom get raped and murdered. He said it was like the end of the world. He said prior to this, they were talking and getting along. He said they got along just fine. He said they didn’t have a fight. He just thought it was the end of the world and said he didn’t know,” the complaint states. “Dorr explained he was having thoughts in his head and that he saw his daughter and daughter’s mom get murdered. He said he had been fasting without food or water. He said he was fasting for about two days for spiritual reasons,” the complaint says.
“He said he drank alcohol last night and today he used methamphetamine. He said he was feeling fine right at the time. Dorr said he didn’t know what day of the week it was and lost track of time. He said he didn’t know what month it was either,” the complaint states.
Dorr said what he did to the dog was “stupid.” Dorr said he stabbed VandenAvond in the chest a “bunch of times.” The autopsy showed the victim had 27 sharp force injuries, including 15 to the chest, the complaint states.
Dorr had been homeless, but said he had stayed with VandenAvond, his addiction sponsor.
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