View source for Mark David Chapman

{{Short description|Murderer of John Lennon (born 1955)}}
{{pp|small=yes}}

{{Use American English|date=December 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox criminal
| name              = Mark David Chapman
| image             = Mark David Chapman, NYPD mugshot.jpg
| caption           = Chapman's 1980 mugshot
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1955|5|10|mf=yes}}
| birth_place       = [[Fort Worth, Texas]], U.S.
| conviction        = [[Murder (United States law)|Second-degree murder]]
| conviction_penalty = 20 years to [[Life imprisonment|life imprisonment]]
| criminal_status   = [[Incarceration|Incarcerated]]
| motive            = Personal resentment against [[John Lennon]] and a desire to emulate [[Holden Caulfield]]<ref name="Gaines1987part3" /><ref name="jlend" /><!--- McGunagle: "For the first six years in Attica, he refused all requests for interviews. He didn't, he said, want to fuel the perception that he had killed Lennon to become a celebrity himself." --->
| known_for         =[[Murder of John Lennon]]
| spouse            = {{marriage|Gloria Abe|June 2, 1979}}<ref name="killer">{{cite magazine |first=Pete |last=Hamill |url=https://nymag.com/news/features/45252/index3.html |title=The Death and Life of John Lennon |magazine=New York |date=December 20, 1980 |access-date=January 12, 2015 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030092922/https://nymag.com/news/features/45252/index3.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Leonard|last=Greene|title=Wife of John Lennon's killer visits him for prison sex and pizza|url=https://nypost.com/2014/12/17/wife-opens-up-about-being-married-to-john-lennons-killer/|newspaper=New York Post|date=December 17, 2014|access-date=January 12, 2015|archive-date=February 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211105220/https://nypost.com/2014/12/17/wife-opens-up-about-being-married-to-john-lennons-killer/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|imprisoned          = [[Green Haven Correctional Facility]], New York, U.S.
}}

'''Mark David Chapman''' (born May 10, 1955) is an American man<!-- Do not add "murderer". Reason 1: Living persons are introduced by their occupation and reason for notability. "Murderer" is not a valid occupation unless the subject is an active serial killer. Reason 2: Sentences like "John Doe is a murderer who murdered Jane Doe" are just poor writing. --> who [[Murder of John Lennon|murdered]] musician [[John Lennon]] in [[New York City]] on December 8, 1980. As Lennon walked into the archway of the [[The Dakota|Dakota]], his apartment building on the [[Upper West Side]], Chapman fired five shots at him from a few yards away with a [[Charter Arms#Products|Charter Arms Undercover]] [[.38 Special]] [[revolver]]; Lennon was hit four times from the back. He was rushed to [[Mount Sinai West|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|the Beatles]] but was infuriated by Lennon's lavish lifestyle, the lyrics of "[[God (John Lennon song)|God]]" and "[[Imagine (John Lennon song)|Imagine]]", and public statements such as his remark about the band being "[[more popular than Jesus]]". 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]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Doggett |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Doggett |year=2012 |title=The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e27t-ag4NakC |page=389 |location=New York City |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=978-0-06-202466-4 |access-date=November 23, 2023 |archive-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115164935/https://books.google.com/books?id=e27t-ag4NakC |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Johnny Carson]], [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]], [[Elizabeth Taylor]],<ref>{{cite web |title=John Lennon Killer Also Considered Shooting Johnny Carson And Elizabeth Taylor |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/john-lennon-killer-mark-david-chapman-considered-killing/story?id=11658475 |website=ABC News |access-date=15 April 2024 |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722082520/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/john-lennon-killer-mark-david-chapman-considered-killing/story?id=11658475 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Paul McCartney]], and [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lennon murderer considered killing Reagan |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/02/16/Lennon-murderer-considered-killing-Reagan/9123540450000/ |access-date=25 June 2024 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=16 February 1987}}</ref> He had no prior criminal convictions and had recently resigned from a job as a security guard in [[Hawaii]].

Chapman's legal team initially intended to mount an [[insanity defense]] based on the testimony of mental health experts who said that he was in a delusional [[psychosis|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 to murder 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 20 years to [[life imprisonment|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 fourteen times.

==Early life==
Chapman was born on May 10, 1955, in [[Fort Worth, Texas]].<ref name="killer" /> His father, David Chapman, was a [[staff sergeant]] in the [[United States Air Force]] and his mother, Diane ([[given name|née]] Pease), was a [[Nursing|nurse]]. His younger sister, Susan, was born seven years later. As a boy, Chapman stated he lived in fear of his father, who he claimed was [[physical abuse|physically abusive]] towards his mother and unloving towards him. Chapman began to fantasize about having God-like power over a group of imaginary "little people" who lived in the walls of his bedroom.

Chapman moved to [[Decatur, Georgia]], at an early age and attended [[Columbia High School (Georgia)|Columbia High School]].<!-- When did he move from Fort Worth to Decatur? --> He later recalled being targeted by bullies due to his lack of athleticism. By the time he was 14, Chapman was using drugs and [[Truancy|skipping classes]], and at one point [[runaway (dependent)|ran away from home]] to live on the streets of [[Miami]] for two weeks.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chirko |first=David |date=November 2016 |title=Alienation: Antecedent to Mayhem |url=https://www.apadivisions.org/division-1/publications/newsletters/general/2016/10/issue.pdf |url-status=deviated |journal=General Psychologist |location=Worcester, Massachusetts |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |volume=51 |page=33 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626001508/http://www.apadivisions.org/division-1/publications/newsletters/general/2016/10/issue.pdf |archive-date=June 26, 2018 |number=1}}</ref>

In 1971, Chapman became a [[Born again|born-again]] [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] and distributed [[tract (literature)|Biblical tracts]]. He met his first girlfriend, Jessica Blankenship, and began work as a summer camp counselor at the [[YMCA]] in [[DeKalb County, Georgia]]. He was immensely popular with the children at the camp, who nicknamed him "[[Captain Nemo|Nemo]]" (after the protagonist of the [[Jules Verne]] novel ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas]]''), and he was promoted to assistant director after winning an award for Outstanding Counselor.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=James R.|last=Gaines|title=Descent Into Madness|url=https://people.com/archive/descent-into-madness-vol-15-no-24/|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|publisher=[[Time, Inc.]]|location=New York City|date=June 22, 1981|volume=15|number=24|access-date=June 25, 2018|archive-date=July 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722082930/https://people.com/archive/descent-into-madness-vol-15-no-24/|url-status=live}}</ref> Those who knew Chapman in the caretaking professions said he was an outstanding worker.<ref name="TwoMarks">Crime Library [http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorist_spies/assassins/chapman/2.html Two Marks] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210044824/http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/2.html |date=February 10, 2015 }}</ref>

On the recommendation of a friend, Chapman read [[J. D. Salinger]]'s novel ''[[The Catcher in the Rye]]'' (1951). The novel eventually took on great personal significance for him, to the extent he reportedly wished to model his life after its main character, [[Holden Caulfield]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gaines|first1=James|title=Mark Chapman: The Man Who Shot John Lennon|url=https://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20095701,00.html|access-date=June 16, 2016|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|publisher=[[Time, Inc.]]|location=New York City|date=February 27, 1987|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131034423/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20095701,00.html|archive-date=January 31, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> After graduating from high school, Chapman moved for a time to [[Chicago]] and played guitar in churches and Christian night spots while his friend Micheal McFarland did impersonations. After his stint in Chicago, Chapman worked successfully for [[World Vision International|World Vision]] with Vietnamese refugees at a resettlement camp at [[Fort Chaffee]] in [[Arkansas]], after a brief visit to [[Lebanon]] for the same work. He was named an area coordinator and a key aide to program director David Moore, who later said Chapman cared deeply for children and worked hard. Chapman accompanied Moore to meetings with government officials, and [[President of the United States|U.S. president]] [[Gerald Ford]] shook his hand.

Chapman joined Blankenship as a student at [[Covenant College]], a Presbyterian [[Liberal arts education|liberal arts]] college in [[Lookout Mountain, Georgia]]. However, he fell behind in his studies and became racked with guilt over having a previous affair.<ref>Crime Library [http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/4.html Escape to Paradise] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210044829/http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/4.html |date=February 10, 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Gaines1981">{{cite magazine|first=J.R.|last=Gaines|url=https://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20079581,00.html|title=The Life and Crime of Mark David Chapman|date=June 22, 1981|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|publisher=[[Time, Inc.]]|location=New York City|volume=15|issue=24|access-date=May 12, 2009|archive-date=August 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813105745/https://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20079581,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He started having [[suicidal ideation|suicidal thoughts]] and began to feel like a failure. He dropped out of Covenant College after just one semester, and his girlfriend broke off their relationship soon after. Chapman returned to work at the resettlement camp but left after an argument with a supervisor.

In 1977, Chapman—spending the last of his savings—impulsively relocated to [[Hawaii]], where he attempted suicide by [[carbon monoxide]] asphyxiation. He connected a hose to his car's exhaust pipe, but the hose melted and the attempt failed. A [[psychiatrist]] admitted Chapman to Castle Memorial Hospital for [[Major depressive disorder|clinical depression]]. Upon his release, he began working at the hospital as a maintenance worker.<ref name="CLMiracle">{{cite web|title=A Miracle Fades Away|url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/5.html|work=Crime Library|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210044830/http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/5.html|archive-date=February 10, 2015}}</ref> After Chapman's parents began divorce proceedings, his mother joined him in Hawaii.<ref name="Gaines1981" />

In 1978, Chapman embarked on a six-week trip around the world. The vacation was partly inspired by the film and novel ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]''. Using his YMCA connections for free or discounted accommodations, Chapman visited [[Tokyo]], [[Seoul]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Singapore]], [[Bangkok]], [[New Delhi]], [[Beirut]], [[Geneva]], [[London]], [[Paris]] and [[Dublin]]. The trip concluded with a brief visit to [[Atlanta]] to visit his family. He also began a romantic relationship with his [[travel agent]], a [[Japanese Americans|Japanese American]] woman named Gloria Abe, whom he married on June 2, 1979. Chapman got a job at Castle Memorial Hospital as a printer, working alone rather than with staff and patients. He was fired by the hospital but was later rehired but resigned after an argument with a nurse. After this, Chapman took a job as a night [[security guard]] at a high-end apartment complex and began [[Alcohol abuse|drinking heavily]] to cope with depression.<ref name="CLMiracle" />

As his psychological state worsened, Chapman developed a series of obsessions, including artwork, ''The Catcher in the Rye'', and the English musician [[John Lennon]]. In September 1980 he wrote a letter to a friend, Lynda Irish, in which he stated, "I'm going nuts." He signed the letter, "The Catcher in the Rye."<ref name="brink">{{cite book |last1=McGunagle|first1=Fred|title=Mark David Chapman, the Man Who Killed John Lennon|chapter=To the Brink and Back|url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/6.html |publisher=[[Court TV]] |location=Atlanta, Georgia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040407005703/http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/6.html|archive-date=April 7, 2004}}</ref> Chapman had no criminal convictions prior to his trip to New York City to kill Lennon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/john-lennons-killer-mark-david-chapman-denied-parole/story?id=17064521|title=John Lennon's Killer Denied Parole|date=November 2, 2012|website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=June 28, 2020|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308075257/https://abcnews.go.com/US/john-lennons-killer-mark-david-chapman-denied-parole/story?id=17064521|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Murder of John Lennon==
{{Main|Murder of John Lennon}}

===Motive and planning===
Chapman reportedly started planning to kill Lennon three months prior to the murder. A longtime fan of Lennon's former band [[the Beatles]], Chapman turned against Lennon due to a [[religious conversion]] and Lennon's highly publicized 1966 remark about the Beatles being "[[more popular than Jesus]]."{{sfn|Jones|1992|p=118}} Some members of Chapman's prayer group made a joke in reference to Lennon's song "[[Imagine (John Lennon song)|Imagine]]": "It went, 'Imagine, imagine if John Lennon was dead.{{'"}}<ref name="Gaines1981" /> One of Chapman's childhood friends, Miles McManushe, recalled that Chapman said that the song was "[[communism|communist]]."{{sfn|Jones|1992|p=118}}

Chapman had also been influenced by [[Anthony Fawcett]]'s ''John Lennon: One Day at a Time'', which detailed Lennon's lavish lifestyle in [[New York City]]. According to Gloria, "He was angry that Lennon would preach love and peace but yet have millions." Chapman later said: "He told us to imagine no possessions and there he was, with millions of dollars and yachts and farms and country estates, laughing at people like me who had believed the lies and bought the records and built a big part of their lives around his music."<ref name="jlend">{{cite web|first=Lynne H.|last=Schultz|url=https://www.secweb.org/index.aspx?action=viewAsset&id=73|title=March 4, 1966: The Beginning of the End for John Lennon?|website=The Secular Web|date=2001|access-date=December 26, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000251/http://www.secweb.org/index.aspx?action=viewAsset&id=73 |archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref> He also recalled having listened to Lennon's solo albums in the weeks before the murder:{{sfn|Jones|1992|p=178}} 
{{blockquote|I would listen to this music and I would get angry at him, for saying [in the song "[[God (John Lennon song)|God]]"] that he didn't believe in God, that he just believed in him and Yoko, and that he didn't believe in the Beatles. This was another thing that angered me, even though this record had been done at least ten years previously. I just wanted to scream out loud, "Who does he think he is, saying these things about God and heaven and the Beatles?" Saying that he doesn't believe in Jesus and things like that. At that point, my mind was going through a total blackness of anger and rage. So I brought the Lennon book home, into this ''The Catcher in the Rye'' milieu where my mindset is Holden Caulfield and anti-phoniness.{{sfn|Jones|1992|pp=178–179}}|sign=|source=}}

Chapman's planning has been described as "muddled."<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Wilson|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9504E5D6163DF934A2575AC0A9669D8B63.html|title=Lennon's Killer Said He Wavered Over Plan|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 23, 2011|date=September 17, 2010|archive-date=July 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722083030/https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9504E5D6163DF934A2575AC0A9669D8B63.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the years, he has both supported and denied whether he felt justified by his spiritual beliefs at the time or had the intention of acquiring notoriety.<ref name="Gaines1987part3" /> The only time he made a public statement before his sentencing—and for several years afterward—was during a brief [[psychotic episode]] in which he was convinced that the meaning of his actions was to promote ''The Catcher in the Rye'', which amounted to a single letter mailed to ''[[The New York Times]]'' asking the public to read the novel.<ref name="Gaines1987part3" />

Journalist [[James R. Gaines]], who interviewed Chapman extensively, concluded that Chapman did not kill Lennon to gain fame and notoriety.<ref name="Gaines1987part3" /> According to Chapman in a later [[parole]] hearing, he had a hit list of other potential targets in mind, including Lennon's bandmate [[Paul McCartney]], talk show host [[Johnny Carson]], actress [[Elizabeth Taylor]], actor [[George C. Scott]], former first lady [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]], recently elected U.S. President [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Governor of Hawaii|Hawaii governor]] [[George Ariyoshi]]. In 2010, Chapman said that the only criterion for the list was being "famous," and that he chose Lennon out of convenience.<ref>{{cite news|last1=James|first1=Michael S.|title=Lennon's Killer: Elizabeth Taylor Also a Target|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/john-lennon-killer-mark-david-chapman-considered-killing/story?id=11658475|work=ABC News|date=September 17, 2010|access-date=June 28, 2020|archive-date=July 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722082520/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/john-lennon-killer-mark-david-chapman-considered-killing/story?id=11658475|url-status=live}}</ref> He had also cited feelings of [[envy]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Mark David Chapman, man who killed John Lennon, said in parole hearing he wanted 'glory' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/mark-david-chapman-man-killed-john-lennon-parole/story?id=73149086 |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=ABC News |language=en |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722082936/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/mark-david-chapman-man-killed-john-lennon-parole/story?id=73149086 |url-status=live }}</ref>

It is rumored that Chapman traveled to [[Woodstock, New York|Woodstock]], [[New York (state)|New York]], during one of his visits to the state in search of the musician [[Todd Rundgren]], another target of obsession. Chapman was wearing a promotional T-shirt for Rundgren's album ''[[Hermit of Mink Hollow]]'' when he was arrested and had a copy of ''[[Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren]]'' in his [[Manhattan]] hotel room. Rundgren was not aware of the connections until much later.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lester |first1=Paul |author-link1=Paul Lester |title=Todd Rundgren: 'Every once in a while I took a trip and never came back' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/may/01/todd-rundgren-interview |access-date=December 16, 2018 |work=The Guardian |date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=October 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010111537/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/may/01/todd-rundgren-interview |url-status=live }}</ref>

On the day of the murder, singer [[David Bowie]] was appearing on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in the play ''[[The Elephant Man (play)|The Elephant Man]].'' "I was second on his list," Bowie later said. "Chapman had a front-row ticket to ''The Elephant Man'' the next night. John and Yoko were supposed to sit front-row for that show too. So the night after John was killed there were three empty seats in the front row. I can't tell you how difficult that was to go on. I almost didn't make it through the performance."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inthestudio.net/redbeards-blog/john-lennon-assassin-had-hitlist-david-bowie-2/|title=John Lennon's Assassin Had a Hit List, and David Bowie Was Next|publisher=In The Studio|access-date=May 11, 2016}}</ref>

===October–December 1980===
[[File:Dakotanewyork.jpg|thumb|[[The Dakota]], Lennon's residence and the location of the shooting]]
Chapman went to New York City in late October 1980 intending to kill Lennon, but left to obtain ammunition from his unwitting friend Dana Reeves in Atlanta before returning in November.<ref name="brink" /> While in New York, Chapman was inspired by the film ''[[Ordinary People]]'' to stop his plans. He returned to Hawaii and told his wife Gloria that he had been obsessed with killing Lennon, showing her the gun and bullets; Gloria did not inform the police or mental health services.<ref name="Gaines1981" /> Chapman later said that the commandment "[[thou shalt not kill]]" flashed on the television at him and was on a wall hanging that his wife put up in their apartment.<ref name="jlend" /> He made an appointment to see a clinical psychologist, but he did not keep it and flew back to New York on December 6, 1980.<ref name="Gaines1981" /> At one point, he considered ending his life by jumping from the [[Statue of Liberty]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Fred|last=McGunagle|url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/10.html |title=Exorcism at Attica |website=Crimelibrary.com |date=December 8, 1980 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513085252/http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/10.html |archive-date=May 13, 2008 }}</ref>

On December 7, Chapman accosted singer [[James Taylor]] at the [[72nd Street (Manhattan)|72nd Street]] subway station. According to Taylor, "The guy had sort of pinned me to the wall and was glistening with maniacal sweat and talking some freak speak about what he was going to do and his stuff with how John was interested and he was going to get in touch with John Lennon."<ref>{{cite news|first=Tom|last=Brook|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11926898|title=Lennon's death: I was there|website=BBC News|publisher=BBC|location=London, England|date=December 8, 2010|access-date=September 9, 2011|archive-date=April 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406123437/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11926898|url-status=live}}</ref> He also reportedly offered cocaine to a taxi driver.<ref name="Gaines1981" /> That night, Chapman and his wife talked on the phone about getting help with his problems by first working on his relationship with God.<ref name="jlend" />

On the morning of December 8, Chapman left his room at the [[Sheraton Hotel]], leaving personal items behind that he wanted the police to find. He bought a copy of ''[[The Catcher in the Rye]]'' in which he wrote "this is my statement", signing it "Holden Caulfield." He then spent most of the day near the entrance to [[the Dakota]] apartment building where Lennon lived, talking to fans and the [[doorman (profession)|doorman]]. Early in the morning, Chapman was distracted and missed seeing Lennon step out of a taxi and enter the Dakota."<ref name="LKW" /> Later in the morning, he met Lennon's housekeeper, who was returning from a walk with Lennon's five-year-old son [[Sean Lennon|Sean]]. Chapman reached in front of the housekeeper to shake Sean's hand and called him a beautiful boy, quoting Lennon's song "[[Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)]].{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

Around 5 p.m., Lennon and his wife [[Yoko Ono]] were leaving the Dakota for a recording session at the [[Record Plant]]. As they walked toward their limousine, Chapman, without saying a word, held out a copy of Lennon's album ''[[Double Fantasy]]'' (1980) for Lennon to sign.<ref>{{cite web | title = 1980 Year in Review: Death of John Lennon | url = https://www.upi.com/Archives/Audio/Events-of-1980/Death-of-John-Lennon | access-date = May 26, 2010 | archive-date = November 7, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107235933/http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1980/Death-of-John-Lennon/12311726509558-11 | url-status = live }}'</ref> Amateur photographer Paul Goresh was standing nearby and took a picture as Lennon signed the album.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://rockandrollgarage.com/paul-goresh-author-john-lennons-photo-killer-dies-58/ |title=Paul Goresh, author of John Lennon's photo with his killer, dies at 58 |date=January 18, 2018 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722082941/https://rockandrollgarage.com/paul-goresh-author-john-lennons-photo-killer-dies-58/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Chapman said in an interview that he tried to get Goresh to stay, and he asked another [[loitering]] Lennon fan, Jude Stein,<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna10098257 Dateline NBC article and telecast from 2005]</ref> to go on a date with him that night. In 1992, Chapman suggested that he would not have murdered Lennon that night if Stein had accepted his invitation or if Goresh had stayed, but he would have returned to the Dakota the following day.<ref name="LKW">{{cite news|title=Larry King Weekend: A Look Back at Mark David Chapman in His Own Words.|url=https://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0009/30/lklw.00.html|website=CNN|publisher=Cable News Network|access-date=September 24, 2015|archive-date=September 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926002257/http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0009/30/lklw.00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Around 10:50&nbsp;p.m., Lennon and Ono returned to the Dakota in a limousine. Yoko got out of the vehicle first, passed Chapman, and walked toward the archway entrance of the building.  Lennon exited the limousine and walked past him.  From the sidewalk behind them, Chapman fired five [[hollow-point bullet]]s from a [[.38 special]] [[revolver]], four of which hit Lennon in the back and shoulder. One newspaper later reported that Chapman called out "Mr. Lennon" and dropped into a [[combat stance]] before firing.<ref>"Police Trace Tangled Path Leading to Lennon's Slaying at the Dakota" by Paul L. Montgomery, ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 10, 1980, pp. A1, B6 [quotes attributed by the newspaper to NYPD Chief of Detectives James T. Sullivan regarding an unnamed witness]</ref> Chapman said that he does not recall saying anything, and Lennon did not turn around.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lovett |first=Kenneth |title=Mark David Chapman tells his version of John Lennon slay |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/08/19/2008-08-19_mark_david_chapman_tells_his_version_of_.html |journal=New York Daily News |date=April 19, 2008 |access-date=May 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124164133/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/08/19/2008-08-19_mark_david_chapman_tells_his_version_of_.html |archive-date=January 24, 2009 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

Chapman remained at the scene following the shooting and appeared to be reading ''The Catcher in the Rye'' when [[New York City Police Department|New York City police officers]] arrived and arrested him without incident. The officers recognized that Lennon's wounds were severe and decided not to wait for an [[ambulance]]; they rushed him to [[Mount Sinai West|Roosevelt Hospital]] in a squad car. Lennon was pronounced [[dead on arrival]]. Three hours later, Chapman told the police, "I'm sure the big part of me is Holden Caulfield, who is the main person in the book. The small part of me must be the Devil."<ref name="McGunagle08">Crime Library [http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/1.html Chapman's Statement] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531154558/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/1.html |date=May 31, 2008 }}</ref>

==Legal process==
Chapman was formally charged with [[second-degree murder]], the most serious murder charge in New York State law for killing a non-law officer. He confessed to police that he had used hollow-point bullets "to ensure Lennon's death."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/63515296/|title=Chapman intended to kill Lennon|newspaper=[[Santa Cruz Sentinel]]|location=[[Santa Cruz, California]]|date=June 24, 1981|page=45|via=newspapers.com|access-date=November 15, 2015|archive-date=November 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117021645/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/63515296/|url-status=live}}</ref> Chapman's wife had known of her husband's preparations for killing Lennon, but took no action because Chapman did not follow through at the time; she did not face any charges.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/john-lennons-killer-mark-chapman-13029152|title=John Lennon's killer Mark Chapman told his wife he was going to shoot him|last=Bucktin|first=Christopher|date=August 3, 2018|website=mirror|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=July 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722082943/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/john-lennons-killer-mark-chapman-13029152|url-status=live}}</ref> Chapman later said that he harbored a "deep-seated resentment" toward his wife, "that she didn't go to somebody, even the police, and say, 'Look, my husband's bought a gun and he says he's going to kill John Lennon.{{'"}}<ref>[https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Wife+of+John+Lennon%27s+assassin+could+have+saved+the+ex-Beatle.-a0243839080 Wife of John Lennon's assassin could have saved the ex-Beatle.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722085035/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Wife+of+John+Lennon%27s+assassin+could+have+saved+the+ex-Beatle.-a0243839080 |date=July 22, 2024 }} December 8, 2012</ref>

===Mental state assessment===
More than a dozen psychologists and psychiatrists interviewed Chapman in the six months prior to his trial—three for the [[prosecution]], six for the [[defense (law)|defense]], and several more on behalf of the court—and they conducted a battery of standard diagnostic procedures and more than 200 hours of clinical interviews. All six defense experts concluded that Chapman was [[psychotic]]; five diagnosed [[paranoid schizophrenia]], while the sixth felt that his symptoms were more consistent with [[manic depression]]. The three prosecution experts declared that his delusions fell short of psychosis and instead diagnosed various [[personality disorder]]s. The court-appointed experts concurred with the prosecution's examiners that he was delusional yet competent to stand trial. In the examinations, Chapman was more cooperative with the prosecution's mental health experts than with those for the defense; one psychiatrist conjectured that he did not wish to be considered "crazy" and was persuaded that the defense experts declared him insane only because they were hired to do so.<ref name="Gaines1987part3" />

Charles McGowan, who had been the pastor of Chapman's church in Decatur, visited Chapman. "I believe there was a demonic power at work," he said. Chapman initially embraced his old religion with new fervor as a result; but McGowan revealed information to the press that Chapman had told him in confidence, so Chapman disavowed his renewed interest in Christianity and reverted to his initial explanation: he had killed Lennon to promote the reading of ''The Catcher in the Rye''.<ref name="Gaines1987part3" />

===Guilty plea===
Chapman's court-appointed lawyer, Herbert Adlerberg, withdrew from the case amid threats of [[lynching]]. Police feared that Lennon fans might storm the hospital, so they transferred Chapman to [[Rikers Island]] for his personal safety.<ref>McGunagle, F. [http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/10.html Exorcism at Attica] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930143824/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/assassins/chapman/10.html |date=September 30, 2013 }} Tru Tv Crime Library.</ref>

At the initial hearing in January 1981, Chapman's new lawyer, Jonathan Marks, instructed him to enter a plea of [[insanity defense|not guilty by reason of insanity]]. In February, Chapman sent a handwritten statement to ''[[The New York Times]]'' urging everyone to read ''The Catcher in the Rye,'' calling it an "extraordinary book that holds many answers."<ref>Montgomery, P [https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/09/nyregion/lennon-murder-suspect-preparing-insanity-defense.html Lennon Murder Suspect Preparing Insanity Defense.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722085015/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/09/nyregion/lennon-murder-suspect-preparing-insanity-defense.html |date=July 22, 2024 }} ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 9, 1981.</ref> The defense team sought to establish witnesses as to Chapman's mental state at the time of the killing.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/26/nyregion/the-city-4-sought-by-defense-in-slaying-of-lennon.html 4 Sought by Defense In Slaying of Lennon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722085016/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/26/nyregion/the-city-4-sought-by-defense-in-slaying-of-lennon.html |date=July 22, 2024 }},''[[The New York Times]]'', February 26, 1981</ref> However, Chapman told Marks in June that he wanted to drop the insanity defense and plead guilty. Marks objected with "serious questions" over Chapman's sanity and legally challenged his competence to make this decision. In the pursuant hearing on June 22, Chapman said that [[Will of God|God had told him to plead guilty]] and that he would never change his plea or ever [[appeal]], regardless of his sentence. Marks told the court that he opposed Chapman's change of plea, but Chapman would not listen to him. Judge [[Dennis Edwards Jr.]] refused a further assessment, saying that Chapman had made the decision of his own free will, and declared him [[competent to stand trial]].<ref name="TwoMarks" /><ref>{{cite web|first=W. J.|last=Weatherby|date=23 June 1981|website=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1981/jun/23/fromthearchive|title=Chapman admits murder|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308132349/https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1981/jun/23/fromthearchive |archive-date=March 8, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/22/newsid_2518000/2518621.stm |title=1981: Chapman pleads guilty to Lennon murder |work=[[BBC News]] |date=June 22, 1981 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510162930/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/22/newsid_2518000/2518621.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Sentencing hearing===
The sentencing hearing took place on August 24, 1981, in a crowded courtroom. Two experts gave evidence on Chapman's behalf. Judge Edwards interrupted [[Dorothy Otnow Lewis|Dorothy Lewis]], a research psychiatrist who was relatively inexperienced in the courtroom, indicating that the purpose of the hearing was to determine the sentence and there was no question of Chapman's criminal responsibility. Lewis had maintained that Chapman's decision to change his plea did not appear reasonable or explicable, and she implied that the judge did not want to allow an independent competency assessment.<ref>{{cite book|first=Dorothy|last=Otnow Lewis|author-link=Dorothy Otnow Lewis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ANKWhsPa6lMC|title=Guilty By Reason Of Insanity|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=New York City|date=1998|isbn=978-1409007791}}</ref> The district attorney argued that Chapman committed the murder as an easy venture to acquire fame. Chapman was asked if he had anything to say, and he rose and read a passage from ''The Catcher in the Rye'' in which Holden tells his little sister Phoebe what he wants to do with his life:

{{blockquote|I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.}}

The judge ordered psychiatric treatment for Chapman during his incarceration and sentenced him to 20 years to [[life imprisonment|life]], five years less than the maximum sentence of 25 years to life.<ref>{{cite web|first=Terry|last=Coleman|date=August 25, 1981|website=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/1981/aug/25/artsfeatures|title=Lennon's killer to serve twenty years|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722085024/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/1981/aug/25/artsfeatures |archive-date=July 22, 2024 }}</ref>

==Imprisonment==
[[File:Attica, New York (Correctional Facility).jpg|thumb|[[Attica Correctional Facility]] in [[Attica (town), New York|Attica, New York]], where Chapman was imprisoned from 1981 to 2012]]
In 1981, Chapman was imprisoned at [[Attica Correctional Facility]] outside [[Buffalo, New York]]. He [[fasting|fasted]] for twenty-six days in February 1982, so the [[New York State Supreme Court]] authorized the state to force-feed him. [[Central New York Psychiatric Center]] director Martin Von Holden said that Chapman refused to eat with other inmates but agreed to take liquid nutrients.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/02/nyregion/the-region-chapman-breaks-his-26-day-fast.html|title=Chapman Breaks His 26-Day Fast|date=March 2, 1982|access-date=February 11, 2017|archive-date=July 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722085106/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/02/nyregion/the-region-chapman-breaks-his-26-day-fast.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He was held in a [[solitary confinement]] unit for violent and at-risk prisoners, in part due to concern that he might be harmed by Lennon's fans in the general population. There were 105 inmates in the facility who were "not considered a threat to him," according to the New York State Department of Correctional Services. He had his own cell but spent "most of his day outside his cell working on housekeeping and in the library."<ref name="cnnden">{{cite news|first=Jonathan|last=Wald|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2004/LAW/10/05/chapman.parole/index.html|title=Lennon killer denied parole|website=[[CNN]]|date=October 6, 2004|access-date=October 8, 2010|archive-date=March 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305073740/http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/10/05/chapman.parole/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Chapman worked in the prison as a [[legal clerk]] and [[sous-chef|kitchen helper]]. He was barred from participating in the Cephas Attica workshops, a charitable organization helping inmates adjust to life outside prison. He was also prohibited from attending the prison's violence and [[anger management]] classes due to concern for his safety. He told a parole board in 2000 what he would do if paroled: "I would immediately try to find a job, and I really want to go from place to place, at least in the state, church to church, and tell people what happened to me and point them the way to Christ." He also said that he thought that he could find work as a [[farmhand]] or return to his previous trade as a printer.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.courttv.com/archive/people/2000/1012/chapmantranscript.html |title=Transcript of Mark David Chapman's Parole Board hearing |website=[[Court TV]] |access-date=October 8, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221115736/http://www.courttv.com/archive/people/2000/1012/chapmantranscript.html |archive-date=February 21, 2009 }}</ref>

Chapman is in the Family Reunion Program, and has been allowed regular [[conjugal visits]] since 2014 with his wife since he accepted solitary confinement. The program allows him to spend 44 hours alone with his wife in a specially built prison home, a trailer on prison grounds equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 12, 2019 |title=Lennon killer gets wife time in Attica |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2008/08/11/lennon-killer-gets-wife-time-in-attica/ |access-date=December 7, 2024 |work=[[New York Daily News]]}}</ref> He also gets occasional visits from his sister, clergy, and a few friends. In 2004, Department of Correctional Services spokesman James Flateau said that Chapman had been involved in three "minor incidents" between 1989 and 1994 which included delaying an inmate count and refusing to follow an order.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogcritics.org/archives/2002/10/09/134608.php#20021009134608 |title=Lennon Killer Chapman Denied Parole |publisher=Blogcritics.org |access-date=October 8, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427152540/http://blogcritics.org/archives/2002/10/09/134608.php |archive-date=April 27, 2009 }}</ref> On May 15, 2012, he was transferred to the [[Wende Correctional Facility]] in [[Alden, New York]], which is east of Buffalo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyfreeman.com/2012/05/16/mark-david-chapman-john-lennons-killer-transferred-from-attica-to-different-max-security-prison/|title=Mark David Chapman, John Lennon's killer, transferred from Attica to different max-security prison|date=May 16, 2012|work=[[Daily Freeman]]|access-date=December 22, 2021|archive-date=July 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722085536/https://www.dailyfreeman.com/2012/05/16/mark-david-chapman-john-lennons-killer-transferred-from-attica-to-different-max-security-prison/|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 30, 2022, he was transferred to the [[Green Haven Correctional Facility]] in [[Beekman, New York]], which is in [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vinelink.vineapps.com/person-detail/offender/684364;tabIndexToSelect=0/|title=Mark David Chapman Custody Record|date=June 29, 2022|work=Commission of Correction|access-date=June 29, 2022|archive-date=June 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629101730/https://vinelink.vineapps.com/person-detail/offender/684364;tabIndexToSelect=0/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Book, interviews, and media appearances==
Chapman declined all offers for interviews following the murder and during his first six years at Attica, later stating that he did not want to give the impression that he killed Lennon as a route to acquire fame and notoriety.<ref name="McGunagle08" /> Despite his claim that he refused all interviews during those six years, James R. Gaines interviewed him and wrote a three-part, 18,000-word [[People (magazine)|''People'' magazine]] series starting in 1981 and climaxing in February and March 1987.<ref name="Gaines1987part3">{{cite magazine|last=Gaines|first=James R.|url=https://people.com/archive/mark-chapman-part-iii-the-killer-takes-his-fall-vol-27-no-10/|title=Mark Chapman Part III: the Killer Takes His Fall|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=March 9, 1987|volume=27|number=10|access-date=October 3, 2021|archive-date=December 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220070258/https://people.com/archive/mark-chapman-part-iii-the-killer-takes-his-fall-vol-27-no-10/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=James R.|last=Gaines|url=https://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20095701,00.html|title=Mark Chapman Part I: the Man Who Shot Lennon|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=February 23, 1987|volume=27|number=8|access-date=December 25, 2011|archive-date=January 31, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131034423/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20095701,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=James R.|last=Gaines|url=https://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20095745,00.html|title=Mark Chapman Part II: In the Shadows a Killer Waited|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=March 2, 1987|volume=27|issue=9|access-date=November 5, 2013|archive-date=April 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421054747/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20095745,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Chapman subsequently told the parole board that he regretted the interview.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> He gave a series of audio-taped interviews to Jack Jones of the [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', and Jones published ''Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman, the Man Who Killed John Lennon'' in 1992.<ref>{{Harvnb|Jones|1992}}</ref> Jones asked Chapman to tell his story for ''Mugshots'', a [[CourtTV]] program in 2000, with his first parole hearing approaching. Chapman refused to go on camera but consented to tell his story in a series of audiotapes.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

On December 4, 1992, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''20/20'' aired an interview with [[Barbara Walters]], Chapman's first television interview.<ref>{{YouTube|ZZ865N6vdDE|Excerpt from Chapman's Interview with Barbara Walters (1992)}}.  Retrieved on July 9, 2012.</ref> On December 17, 1992, [[Larry King]] interviewed Chapman on his [[CNN]] program ''[[Larry King Live]]''.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1ZhAv8nHHI&pp=ygUcY2hhcG1hbiBsYXJyeSBraW5nIGludGVydmlldw== |title=CNN Larry King - Mark David Chapman 1992 Interview (FULL) |date=2024-09-21 |last=Mark H. Helmsley |access-date=2024-11-14 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

==Parole applications, campaigns, and denials==
Chapman first became eligible for [[parole]] in 2000 after serving twenty years in prison. Under New York state law, he is required to have a parole hearing every two years from that year onward. Since that time, a two- or three-member board has denied Chapman parole fourteen times. Before his first parole hearing, Yoko Ono sent a letter to the board requesting that Chapman should stay behind bars and serve out the remainder of his life sentence.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jonathan |last=Wald |date=October 6, 2004 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2004/LAW/10/05/chapman.parole/index.html |title=Lennon Killer Denie |website=[[CNN]] |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305073740/http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/10/05/chapman.parole/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/955216.stm |title=Yoko Ono: My Fears |work=BBC News |date=October 3, 2000 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-date=January 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103090429/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/955216.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, [[New York State Senate|New York State Senator]] [[Michael Nozzolio]], chairman of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, wrote to Parole Board Chairman Brion Travis saying: "It is the responsibility of the New York State Parole Board to ensure that public safety is protected from the release of dangerous criminals like Mark David Chapman."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/law.and.entertainment/10/03/chapman.parole.02/index.html|title=John Lennon's killer denied parole|website=[[CNN]]|date=October 3, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325203023/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/law.and.entertainment/10/03/chapman.parole.02/index.html |archive-date=March 25, 2007 }}</ref>

===Timeline===
{{Plainlist|style=text-indent:-2.8em; margin-left:2.8em;}}
* 2000: During the 50-minute hearing, Chapman professed that he was not a threat to society and that Lennon would have approved of his release. The parole board declined and concluded that releasing him would "deprecate the seriousness of the crime and serve to undermine respect for the law" and that Chapman granting media interviews represented a continued interest in "maintaining [his] notoriety." They noted that Chapman had a good disciplinary record while in prison, but he had been in solitary confinement and did not have access to "anti-violence and/or anti-aggression programming."<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 3, 2000 |title=Parole denied to Lennon killer Mark Chapman |url=http://starbulletin.com/2000/10/03/news/story3.html |access-date=September 9, 2011 |newspaper=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |archive-date=February 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080210065640/http://starbulletin.com/2000/10/03/news/story3.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Correctional Association of New York lawyer Robert Gangi said that he thought it unlikely that Chapman would ever be freed because the board would not risk the "political heat" of releasing Lennon's killer. Ono stated that if Chapman were released, she and Lennon's sons would not feel safe for the rest of their lives. "I am afraid it will bring back the nightmare, the chaos and confusion once again," she added.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 3, 2000 |title=Lennon killer denied parole |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/955074.stm |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-date=December 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229165450/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/955074.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2002: Despite a positive behavioral record, the board again stated that releasing Chapman after 22 years in prison would "deprecate the seriousness" of the crime. Some counterarguments have stated that this basis was no predictor of his potential community behavior.<ref>{{Cite web |title=instantkarma.com |url=http://www.instantkarma.com/instantnewssepoct02.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018112016/http://www.instantkarma.com/instantnewssepoct02.html |archive-date=October 18, 2006 |access-date=October 8, 2010 |website=instantkarma.com}}</ref>
* 2004: The parole board held a third hearing and declined parole. One of the reasons given by the board was that Chapman had subjected Ono to "monumental suffering by her witnessing the crime." Another factor was concern for Chapman's safety; several Lennon fans threatened to kill him upon his release. Ono's letter opposing his release stated that Chapman would not be safe outside of prison. The board reported that its decision was based on the interview, a review of records, and deliberation.<ref name="cnnden" /> By this time, approximately 6,000 people had signed an online petition opposing Chapman's release.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Paul |last=Harris |date=September 26, 2004 |title=Lennon fans threaten his killer as release looms |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/thebeatles/story/0,,1313883,00.html |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722085542/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/26/usa.arts |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2006: The parole board held a 16-minute hearing and concluded that his release would not be in the best interest of the community or his own personal safety.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 11, 2006 |title=John Lennon's killer refused parole for the fourth time |work=[[The Scotsman]] |url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=19&id=1505872006 |url-status=dead |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716105700/http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=19&id=1505872006 |archive-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 11, 2006 |title=Lennon killer fails in parole bid |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6039276.stm |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-date=August 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827004236/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6039276.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> On the twenty-sixth anniversary of Lennon's death, Ono published a one-page advertisement in several newspapers, saying that December 8 should be a "day of forgiveness," but she was not sure if she was ready to forgive Chapman.<ref>Irish Examiner news December 8, 2006, Yoko [https://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=235103050&p=z35yx3865&n=235103936 Ono not ready to forgive Lennon's killer]</ref>
* 2008: Chapman was denied parole at his fifth hearing "due to concern for the public safety and welfare."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Lennon's Killer Denied Parole |work=[[CNN Wire]] |url=https://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/12/lennons-killer-denies-parole/ |url-status=dead |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090814185050/http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/12/lennons-killer-denies-parole/ |archive-date=August 14, 2009}}</ref>
* 2010: In advance of Chapman's scheduled sixth parole hearing, Ono said that she would again oppose his parole, stating that her safety, that of Lennon's sons, and Chapman's would be at risk.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 27, 2010 |title=Yoko Ono opposes parole for John Lennon's killer |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/07/27/Killer-of-John-Lennon-makes-parole-bid/UPI-81271280250987/ |access-date=August 12, 2010 |website=UPI.com |archive-date=August 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803063945/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/07/27/Killer-of-John-Lennon-makes-parole-bid/UPI-81271280250987/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The parole board postponed the hearing in September, stating that it was awaiting additional information to complete Chapman's record.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Swash |first=Rosie |date=August 11, 2010 |title=John Lennon's killer has parole hearing date postponed |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/11/john-lennon-mark-chapman |access-date=August 11, 2010}}</ref> On September 7, the board denied Chapman's parole application, with the panel stating that "release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Carolyn |date=September 7, 2010 |title=John Lennon Killer Chapman Denied Parole In NY |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2010-09-07-chapman-parole_N.htm |access-date=December 23, 2011 |archive-date=February 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228000939/http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2010-09-07-chapman-parole_N.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2012: Chapman's seventh parole hearing was held in August. The board announced the following day that his parole request was denied, on the grounds that they believed he would reoffend. "Despite your positive efforts while incarcerated, your release at this time would greatly undermine respect for the law and tend to trivialize the tragic loss of life which you caused as a result of this heinous, unprovoked, violent, cold and calculated crime."<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 23, 2012 |title=Chapman denied parole |work=[[Huffington Post]] |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/mark-david-chapman-john-lennon-killer-denied-parole-7th-time-ny_n_1824704.html |access-date=October 24, 2012 |archive-date=January 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105142542/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/mark-david-chapman-john-lennon-killer-denied-parole-7th-time-ny_n_1824704.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wulfhorst |first=Ellen |date=August 18, 2012 |title=John Lennon's killer to get seventh parole hearing this week |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-usa-lennon-killer-idUSBRE87H09L20120818 |access-date=August 18, 2012}}</ref>
* 2014: Chapman's eighth parole application was denied. Chapman told the board, "I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory.... I found my peace in Jesus. I know him. He loves me. He has forgiven me. He has helped in my life like you wouldn't believe." The board was unmoved, telling Chapman that it believed that "there is a reasonable probability that you would not live and remain at liberty without again violating the law."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Duke |first=Alan |date=August 28, 2014 |title=John Lennon's killer denied parole, talks about murder |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/28/showbiz/mark-chapman-parole-denied/ |access-date=April 21, 2016 |archive-date=April 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426195321/http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/28/showbiz/mark-chapman-parole-denied |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Campbell |first=Jon |date=August 27, 2014 |title=Lennon's killer: 'I'm sorry for being such an idiot' |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/08/27/lennons-killer-parole-board-hearing-transcript/14704367 |access-date=April 21, 2016 |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722085626/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/08/27/lennons-killer-parole-board-hearing-transcript/14704367/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2016: Chapman's parole was denied. Chapman said that he now saw his crime as being "premeditated, selfish and evil."<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 29, 2016 |title=John Lennon's killer Mark Chapman denied parole again |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37215296?ocid=socialflow_twitter |access-date=August 30, 2016 |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722085715/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37215296?ocid=socialflow_twitter |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2018: Denied for the tenth time,<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 24, 2018 |title=John Lennon's killer denied parole for 10th time |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/24/john-lennon-killer-mark-chapman-denied-parole-for-tenth-time |access-date=August 25, 2018 |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722090151/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/24/john-lennon-killer-mark-chapman-denied-parole-for-tenth-time |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lovett |first=Kenneth |title=Exclusive: John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman denied parole a 10th time; stays in jail at least 2 more years |work=[[New York Daily News]] |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2018/08/23/exclusive-john-lennons-killer-mark-david-chapman-denied-parole-a-10th-time-stays-in-jail-at-least-2-more-years/ |access-date=August 27, 2018 |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722090832/https://playlist.stnvideo.com/player/data/index.php?cmd=loadInitial&session=IgggoRm_80DjVJJO&instance=198034131&version=7.32.24&age=240722&ESG_key=Gqp3X1BH&type=FULL&EXTREF=https://www.nydailynews.com/2018/08/23/exclusive-john-lennons-killer-mark-david-chapman-denied-parole-a-10th-time-stays-in-jail-at-least-2-more-years/&REF=https://www.nydailynews.com/2018/08/23/exclusive-john-lennons-killer-mark-david-chapman-denied-parole-a-10th-time-stays-in-jail-at-least-2-more-years/&ogSet=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> the parole board wrote to Chapman that he was at low risk to reoffend, but that he "admittedly carefully planned and executed the murder of a world-famous person for no reason other than to gain notoriety." The board added, "While no one person's life is any more valuable than another's life, the fact that you chose someone who was not only a world-renowned person and beloved by millions, regardless of pain and suffering you would cause to his family, friends, and so many others, you demonstrated a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life and the pain and suffering of others. This fact remains a concern to this panel."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Southern |first=Keiran |date=August 24, 2018 |title=John Lennon's killer denied parole for tenth time |work=[[Liverpool Echo]] |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/john-lennons-killer-mark-chapman-15069727 |access-date=August 25, 2018 |archive-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622042207/https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/john-lennons-killer-mark-chapman-15069727 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2020: Chapman's parole was denied for the eleventh time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Snyder |first=Alec |date=August 27, 2020 |title=John Lennon's killer denied parole for the 11th time |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/27/us/john-lennon-killer-denied-parole-trnd/index.html |access-date=August 27, 2020 |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722090827/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/27/us/john-lennon-killer-denied-parole-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Officials said he was refused parole as "it would be incompatible with the welfare of society".<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 21, 2020 |title=John Lennon's killer apologises to his widow Yoko Ono for 'despicable' crime he committed for 'self-glory' |work=[[Sky News]] |url=https://news.sky.com/story/john-lennons-killer-apologises-to-his-widow-yoko-ono-for-despicable-crime-he-committed-for-self-glory-12078171 |access-date=September 21, 2020 |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722090703/https://news.sky.com/story/john-lennons-killer-apologises-to-his-widow-yoko-ono-for-despicable-crime-he-committed-for-self-glory-12078171 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the tapes acquired by [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]], he sought glory in killing a member of the Beatles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mark David Chapman, man who killed John Lennon, said in parole hearing he wanted 'glory' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/mark-david-chapman-man-killed-john-lennon-parole/story?id=73149086 |access-date=April 11, 2021 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722082936/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/mark-david-chapman-man-killed-john-lennon-parole/story?id=73149086 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2022: In Chapman's twelfth parole hearing, he admitted he knew what he did was wrong, but "wanted the fame too much", and that he wanted to be a "somebody, and nothing was going to stop that". The board denied him parole, citing his "selfish disregard for human life of global consequence", they also added "The worldwide impact of your crime resonates such as to evoke images, memories and emotions internationally, leading the panel to concur that your release at this time would be incompatible with the welfare of society" and also noted his action leaving lasting ramifications of "the world recovering from the void of which he created".<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 8, 2022 |title=John Lennon's killer admits he knew the act was 'evil' but he 'wanted the fame too much' |url=https://www.thehitmix.co.uk/2022/11/08/john-lennons-killer-admits-he-knew-the-act-was-evil-but-he-wanted-the-fame-too-much/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108182710/https://www.thehitmix.co.uk/2022/11/08/john-lennons-killer-admits-he-knew-the-act-was-evil-but-he-wanted-the-fame-too-much/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=The Hitmix}}</ref>
* 2024: Chapman appeared before the parole board in early March, and he was again denied parole.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 15, 2024 |title=Parole Board Interview Calendar |url=https://publicapps.doccs.ny.gov/ParoleBoardCalendar/default?name=C&month=03&year=2024 |access-date=March 15, 2024 |website=Parole Board Calendar |archive-date=July 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722090822/https://publicapps.doccs.ny.gov/ParoleBoardCalendar/default?name=C&month=03&year=2024 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2025: Chapman was denied parole for the fourteenth time when he went before a parole board on August 27, 2025.<ref name="times12">{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/9b36f350-0c45-4625-b8c9-6b382a8385e1|title=John Lennon's killer denied parole for 14th time | work=The Times | date=5 September 2025 | access-date=5 September 2025}}</ref> 
* 2027: Chapman's next scheduled appearance is February 2027.<ref name="times12"/>
{{endplainlist}}

==In film==
Two films center on Chapman and the murder: ''[[The Killing of John Lennon]]'' (2006), starring Jonas Ball as Chapman, focuses on Chapman's life up to the murder.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/movies/02lenn.html|title=John Lennon's Death Revisited Through the Words of His Killer|first=Stephen|last=Holden|authorlink=Stephen Holden|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2 January 2008|url-access=limited|access-date=14 October 2021|archive-date=29 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029184036/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/movies/02lenn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Chapter 27]]'' (2007), starring [[Jared Leto]] as Chapman, based on Jack Jones's book ''Let Me Take You Down'', attempts a nonjudgmental portrayal of Chapman.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/movies/28chap.html|title=Tracking an Assassin|first=Matt Zoller|last=Seitz|authorlink=Matt Zoller Seitz|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=28 March 2008|url-access=limited|access-date=14 October 2021|archive-date=29 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029193922/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/movies/28chap.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Stabbing of George Harrison|Michael Abram]], man who stabbed and attempted to murder fellow Beatles member [[George Harrison]] in 1999.
* [[Yolanda Saldívar]], President of the fan club and manager of boutiques for American singer [[Selena]] who [[Murder of Selena|murdered]] her in 1995.
* [[Ricardo López (stalker)|Ricardo López]], man who stalked and attempted to murder Icelandic singer [[Björk]] before shooting and killing himself on camera in 1996.
* [[Robert John Bardo]], man who stalked and murdered American actress [[Rebecca Schaeffer]] in 1989.
* [[Nathan Gale]],  man who shot American guitarist [[Dimebag Darrell]] and three other people in 2004.
* [[John Hinckley Jr.]], man who stalked American actress [[Jodie Foster]] and [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|shot U.S. President Ronald Reagan]] in an attempt to impress her.

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite book|title=Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman, the Man Who Killed John Lennon|url=https://archive.org/details/letmetakeyoudown0000jone_j4d5|url-access=registration|last=Jones|first=Jack|year=1992|publisher=Villard Books|isbn=0-8129-9170-2}}

==Further reading==
* Bresler, Fenton. [[iarchive:murderofjohnlenn0000bres|''Who Killed John Lennon?'']] London: [[Sidgwick & Jackson]] (Nov. 1990). {{ISBN|978-0312923679}}.

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* [https://nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov/ New York Department of Correctional Services inmate information page] Chapman's DIN is 81-A-3860
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3745492.stm Article on Mark Chapman] which argues that he killed for fame ([[BBC News]])
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/8/newsid_2536000/2536321.stm BBC News report with actual news footage from the time on right hand side of page]
* [https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/mark_david_chapman_the_catcher_in_the_rye_and_the_killing_of_john_lennon "Mark David Chapman, ''The Catcher in the Rye'', and the Killing of John Lennon"] by John W. Whitehead, 2000
* {{IMDb name|id=1527399|name=Mark David Chapman}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Mark David}}
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[[Category:John Lennon]]
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