Case #1: The Murder of John Lennon

Newspaper with a headline revealing John Lennon's murder

The Murder:  

December 8, 1980. John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono left their apartment around 5:00 pm to head to a music session at a place known as the Record Plant studio. As the couple was heading to their limousine, they were stopped by a group of fans wanting Lennon's autograph. One of those fans was a man named Mark David Chapman. Once Lennon and Ono had gotten into their limo and drove off for the studio, the adoring fans disbursed. Chapman laid in wait for the couple to return. Once Lennon and Ono returned, Chapman walked toward the couple and fired five shots from a .38 revolver. Four of the five bullets fired hit Lennon. John Lennon made it into the apartment building, and informed the concierge that he had been shot. Lennon was taken to the hospital, and was pronounced not long after arrival. A building doorman named Jose Perdomo managed to get the gun away from Chapman. Interestingly, Chapman waited calmly for the police, and was arrested without incident. Chapman would later be found guilty for second degree murder and sentenced to 20 years to life. 

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

A look at the crime scene where Lennon was shot.

A Little History: 

Mark David Chapman was 25 when he shot and killed John Lennon. He claimed to be a fan of the band as a teenager. He was also cited as a born-again Christian who was angered by Lennon's claim that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus." He had travelled to New York in October of 1980 (Chapman lived in Hawaii at the time). Perhaps one of the more infamous pieces of knowledge regarding the murder were that Chapman was inspired to commit the murder by J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. The book is critical of "phonies." Chapman considered Lennon to be one of those "phonies." 

After the Murder: 

I had mentioned earlier that Chapman was arrested without incident. When police had arrived on the scene, He allegedly said calmly "Yes. I just shot John Lennon." when asked if he knew what he had done. After Lennon was shot and rushed to the hospital, medics tried to resuscitate him to no avail. Lennon died in the emergency room. According to the coroner's report, Lennon lost more than 80% of his bloody supply. It should also probably be noted that the bullets Chapman used were hollow-point bullets. This means the bullets exploded into shrapnel on impact.  

Yoko Ono had the daunting task of telling their five-year-old son Sean before he heard it through the media. An interesting little tidbit I found during my research was that Lennon and his son actually had the same birthday, October 9th. I know it's not necessarily important. I just found it interesting.  

Lennon did not have a funeral. Instead he was privately cremated. 

What happened with Chapman: 

Chapman was interviewed for hours by court-appointed psychiatrists in an effort to determine whether or not he was fit to stand trial. The defense came to the conclusion that Chapman was a paranoid schizophrenic. The prosecution, on the other hand, came to the conclusion he was fit to stand trial. Chapman ended up choosing to plead guilty. In 2020, Chapman was up for parole for the eleventh time, and his parole was turned down. Chapman will be up for parole again next year.

Mark David Chapman: Then and Now

"I have no excuse. This was for self-glory. I think it's the worst crime that there could be to do something to someone that's innocent. He was extremely famous. I didn't kill him because of his character or the kind of man he was. He was a family man. He was an icon. He was someone that spoke of things that now we can speak of and it's great. I assassinated him, to use your word earlier, because he was very, very, very famous and that's the only reason and I was very, very, very, very much seeking self-glory, very selfish,"

This is a little piece of what Chapman had to say about his actions. I should also note at this point that Chapman did go on to say that he felt he deserved the death penalty. 

Before I give some of my final thoughts, I wanted to mention that Chapman had been married for about 18 months before he shot and killed Lennon. He is still married to his wife, Gloria. While I was doing some of my digging, I found an interview with her where she talked about her marriage, and about the murder. She had said that she knew about her husband's plan and didn't take it seriously. From what I could gather, it seems like Gloria is a deeply religious woman, and that is why she refuses to divorce Chapman. She even says she still loves him.  

Final Thoughts: 

At first, I wasn't sure if I actually thought he felt he deserved the death penalty. However, as I have given some of his reasoning a little more thought, if he was looking for an easy way out, I feel like he probably would have found a way to try and kill himself. Keep in mind, none of what I'm saying as I relay my final thoughts are fact. This section is just pondering. I am not trying to say one way or the other what has ever gone on in this man's head, or is currently going through his head. However, the more I've read up on this case, it does actually seem like he's sorry. Then again, it's hard to say. 

Sources:

Greene, Leonard. “Wife of John Lennon's Killer Visits Him for Prison Sex and Pizza.” New York Post, New York Post, 17 Dec. 2014, nypost.com/2014/12/17/wife-opens-up-about-being-married-to-john-lennons-killer/.

“John Lennon Is Shot.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 24 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-lennon-shot.

“John Lennon Killer Says Sorry for 'Despicable Act'.” BBC News, BBC, 22 Sept. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54246444.

“The Murder of John Lennon.” Crime Museum, 9 June 2017, www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/famous-murders/the-murder-of-john-lennon/.

Nash, Jackie. “John Lennon's Death: A Timeline of Events.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 29 June 2020, www.biography.com/news/john-lennon-death-timeline.

O'Gorman, Martin. “Who Killed John Lennon? The Story the Beatle's Shocking Murder.” Radio X, 8 Dec. 2020, www.radiox.co.uk/artists/john-lennon/who-killed-john-lennon-the-story-of-how-the-beatle-was-murdered/.