Mark David Chapman

For the British theologian, see Mark Chapman (theologian).

Mark David Chapman
Mug shot of Chapman following his arrest
Born (1955-05-10) May 10, 1955 (age 69)
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Known forMurder of John Lennon
Criminal statusIncarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility
Spouse
Gloria Abe
​
(m. 1979)​
[3][4]
MotivePersonal resentment against John Lennon and a desire to emulate Holden Caulfield[1][2]
Conviction(s)Second-degree murder
Criminal penalty20 years to life in prison

Mark David Chapman (born May 10, 1955) is an American man who murdered English musician John Lennon in New York City on December 8, 1980. As Lennon walked into the archway of The Dakota, his apartment building on the Upper West Side, Chapman fired five shots at the musician from a few yards away with a Charter Arms Undercover .38 Special revolver. Lennon was hit four times from the back. He was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital and pronounced dead on arrival. Chapman remained at the scene following the shooting and made no attempt to flee or resist arrest.

Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Chapman was initially a fan of the Beatles, but was infuriated by Lennon's lavish lifestyle and public statements, such as his remark about the band being "more popular than Jesus" and the lyrics of two of his later songs "God" and "Imagine". In the years leading up to the murder, the J. D. Salinger novel The Catcher in the Rye took on great personal significance for Chapman, to the extent that he wished to model his life after the novel's protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Chapman also contemplated killing other public figures, including David Bowie,[5] Johnny Carson, Elizabeth Taylor,[6] Paul McCartney, and Ronald Reagan.[7] He had no prior criminal convictions and had recently resigned from a job as a security guard in Hawaii.

Following the murder, Chapman's legal team intended to mount an insanity defense based on the testimony of mental health experts who said that he was in a delusional psychotic state at the time of the shooting. However, he was more cooperative with the prosecutor, who argued that his symptoms fell short of a schizophrenia diagnosis. As the trial approached, Chapman instructed his lawyers that he wanted to plead guilty based on what he had decided was the will of God. The judge granted Chapman's request and deemed him competent to stand trial. He was sentenced to a prison term of twenty years to life with a stipulation that mental health treatment would be provided.

Chapman refused requests for press interviews during his first six years in prison; he later said that he regretted the murder and that he did not want to give the impression that he killed Lennon for fame and notoriety. He ultimately supplied audiotaped interviews to journalist Jack Jones, who used them to write the investigative book Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman in 1992. In 2000, Chapman became eligible for parole, which has since been denied thirteen times. His life was dramatized in the films The Killing of John Lennon (2006) and Chapter 27 (2007).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gaines1987part3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference jlend was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Hamill, Pete (December 20, 1980). "The Death and Life of John Lennon". New York. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  4. ^ Greene, Leonard (December 17, 2014). "Wife of John Lennon's killer visits him for prison sex and pizza". New York Post. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  5. ^ Doggett, Peter (2012). The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s. New York City: HarperCollins. p. 389. ISBN 978-0-06-202466-4. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "John Lennon Killer Also Considered Shooting Johnny Carson And Elizabeth Taylor". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  7. ^ "Lennon murderer considered killing Reagan". United Press International. February 16, 1987. Retrieved June 25, 2024.