Mark David Chapman remains in custody. Here are the reasons for this.
Mark David Chapman, who shot John Lennon outside of his New York apartment in 1980, was excluded from the probation for the 14th time. The decision was recently published online by the state of New York.
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The murder of John Lennon
On December 8, 1980, Chapman was waiting in front of the Dakota apartment complex when John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono returned home. The Beatles legend had previously signed an edition of its new album Double Fantasy for Chapman. Chapman shot Lennon in the back several times, the musician was later declared dead in the hospital. Lennon was only 40 years old.
Chapman was arrested within a few minutes, waited near the crime scene with an edition of JD Salinger’s novel “The catcher in rye” and did not resist. In 1981 he was sentenced to a lifelong prison sentence at least 20 years.
Sliding and earlier hearings
Chapman was first approved for a probation hearing in 2000. Since then, his application has been rejected 13 times. The responsible authorities justified earlier rejections, among other things, by the fact that his dismissal is “not compatible with the security and well-being of society” and that the 70-year-old showed a “cold-hearted disregard” to human suffering.
According to the magazine “The Atlantic”, Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono sends a letter to the competent authority every two years, in which she asks not to grant Chapman.
Chapman’s statements and regrets
In unsealed protocols of hearings from the past few years, which are “The Sun”, among other things, Chapman said that he was aware of his act: “I knew what I was doing, and I knew that it was angry, I knew it was wrong, but I wanted to be so famous that I was ready to give everything and take a human life.” The inspiration for his deed is said to have been a character in Jd Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in Rye”.
The next hearing of Chapman’s hearing is scheduled for February 2027. He is currently serving his prison in Green Haven Correctional Facility north of New York City.