The three-part series “John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial” reveals new insights.
A new documentary series about John Lennon reveals how strange the perpetrator Mark Chapman is said to have apologized on December 8, 1980, immediately after the musician’s murder. This is what a witness reports in the documentary, which can be seen on Apple TV+ from December 6th.
Chapman to relatives: “I’m sorry I ruined your evening”
One of the witnesses in the documentary recounts (as NME reports) what Chapman is said to have said after he shot Lennon: “He actually apologized to us. He said, ‘Damn, I’m sorry I ruined your evening.'” The reporter then said to Chapman, “You’ve got to be kidding me. You just ruined your entire life.”
In 2020, Chapman also publicly apologized to Yoko Ono during a parole hearing. “It was an extremely selfish act. I’m sorry that I told her [Ono] caused this pain. I think about it all the time.”
Chapman was denied parole for the 12th time in 2022, meaning he will remain in prison until at least February 2024. Infamously, there was minimal investigation into the murder, as Chapman waited at the scene and immediately pleaded guilty when police arrived. He was sentenced to twenty years to life in prison for second-degree murder.
More about the new documentation
Already announced in October, “John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial”, as the three-part series is originally called, will be available on the streaming service Apple TV+ on December 6th. The series examines the premeditated crime and its consequences by alleged fan Mark David Chapman, who shot the Beatles member dead outside his apartment block in New York City on December 8, 1980. The three-part series is narrated by actor Kiefer Sutherland.
The documentary features interviews with Lennon’s friends as well as Chapman’s defense lawyers, psychiatrists, detectives and prosecutors. Previously unpublished photos from the crime scene can also be seen.
Some of those interviewed in the documentary include Richard Peterson, a taxi driver who witnessed the shooting; Jay Hastings, a doorman in Lennon’s apartment building who heard his last words; David Suggs, Chapman’s defense attorney; Elliot Mintz, a friend of Lennon and Yoko Ono; and Dr. Naomi Goldstein, the psychiatrist who first evaluated Chapman.
More about The Beatles
Meanwhile, The Beatles created another historic moment in music history with their song “Now And Then.” The track hit number one on November 10th, just eight days after its release official German single charts reached.
The creation process of “Now and Then” spanned five decades. The song was originally written by John Lennon in the late 1970s and then recorded as an incomplete demo. The Beatles had intended to release the song on their album ANTHOLOGY 3 26 years ago. It was also completed using AI technology by surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, more than 40 years after they began working on it.