Mark David Chapman
Mark David Chapman was born on the 10th of May 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas. His father served as a staff sergeant in the United States Air Force while his mother worked as a nurse. He lived with fear of his father who he claimed was physically abusive towards his mother and unloving towards him. As a boy Chapman fantasized about having God-like power over imaginary little people living inside the walls of his bedroom. The family moved to Decatur, Georgia when he was very young. He attended Columbia High School where bullies targeted him for lacking athleticism. By age 14 he used drugs and skipped classes regularly. At one point he ran away from home to live on the streets of Miami for two weeks. In 1971 Chapman became a born-again Presbyterian and distributed Biblical tracts. He met his first girlfriend Jessica Blankenship and began work as a summer camp counselor at the YMCA in DeKalb County. Children there nicknamed him Nemo after the protagonist of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. He won an award for Outstanding Counselor and was promoted to assistant director.
Chapman read J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye in 1951 which eventually took great personal significance for him. He reportedly wished to model his life after its main character Holden Caulfield. His psychological state worsened as he developed obsessions with artwork and the English musician John Lennon. In September 1980 he wrote a letter to friend Lynda Irish stating I'm going nuts. He signed the letter The Catcher in the Rye. Chapman contemplated killing other public figures including David Bowie Johnny Carson Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Elizabeth Taylor Paul McCartney and Ronald Reagan. He had no prior criminal convictions before traveling to New York City to kill Lennon. A longtime fan of Lennon's former band the Beatles Chapman turned against him due to religious conversion and Lennon's highly publicized 1966 remark about the band being more popular than Jesus. Some members of Chapman's prayer group made a joke referencing Lennon's song Imagine: It went Imagine if John Lennon was dead. One of Chapman's childhood friends Miles McManus recalled that Chapman said the song was communist. Chapman also read Anthony Fawcett's book John Lennon: One Day at a Time detailing Lennon's lavish lifestyle.
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. He returned in November inspired by the film Ordinary People to stop his plans. He flew back to New York on the 6th of December 1980 after considering ending his life by jumping from the Statue of Liberty. On the morning of December 8 Chapman left his room at the Sheraton Hotel leaving personal items behind for police to find. He bought a copy of The Catcher in the Rye writing this is my statement inside it. He signed it Holden Caulfield. Around 5 p.m. Lennon and Yoko Ono were leaving the Dakota for a recording session. Chapman held out a copy of Lennon's album Double Fantasy for him to sign without saying a word. Amateur photographer Paul Goresh took a picture as Lennon signed the album. Around 10:50 p.m. Lennon and Ono returned to the Dakota in a limousine. From the sidewalk behind them Chapman fired five hollow-point bullets 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 before firing. Chapman remained at the scene reading The Catcher in the Rye when police arrived. Three hours later he told 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.
Chapman was formally charged with second-degree murder the most serious charge in New York State law for killing a non-law officer. More than a dozen psychologists and psychiatrists interviewed him in six months prior to trial conducting over 200 hours of clinical interviews. All six defense experts concluded Chapman was psychotic while three prosecution experts declared his delusions fell short of psychosis. Charles McGowan pastor of Chapman's church visited him stating I believe there was a demonic power at work. Chapman initially embraced his old religion but disavowed it after McGowan revealed information to the press. At the initial hearing in January 1981 Chapman's new lawyer Jonathan Marks instructed him to enter a plea of 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. However Chapman told Marks in June that he wanted to drop the insanity defense and plead guilty. He stated God had told him to plead guilty and he would never change his plea or ever appeal regardless of sentence. Judge Dennis Edwards Jr. refused further assessment declaring Chapman competent to stand trial on June 22.
In 1981 Chapman was imprisoned at Attica Correctional Facility outside Buffalo New York. He fasted for twenty-six days in February 1982 so the state authorized force-feeding him. Central New York Psychiatric Center director Martin Von Holden said Chapman refused to eat with other inmates but agreed to take liquid nutrients. He was held in a solitary confinement unit for violent and at-risk prisoners due to concern he might be harmed by Lennon fans. There were 105 inmates considered not a threat to him according to the Department of Correctional Services. Chapman worked as a legal clerk and kitchen helper barred from participating in Cephas Attica workshops. He was prohibited from attending violence and anger management classes due to safety concerns. In 2004 Department of Correctional Services spokesman James Flateau said Chapman had been involved in three minor incidents between 1989 and 1994 including delaying an inmate count. On the 15th of May 2012 he was transferred to Wende Correctional Facility in Alden New York. On the 30th of March 2022 he moved to Green Haven Correctional Facility in Beekman New York. Chapman is in the Family Reunion Program allowed regular conjugal visits since 2014 with his wife.
Chapman declined all offers for interviews following the murder during his first six years at Attica stating he did not want to give the impression that he killed Lennon as a route to acquire fame. Despite this claim journalist James R. Gaines interviewed him writing a three-part 18,000-word People magazine series starting in 1981 climaxing in February and March 1987. Chapman subsequently told the parole board he regretted the interview. He gave audio-taped interviews to Jack Jones of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle who published Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman in 1992. On the 4th of December 1992 ABC's 20/20 aired an interview with Barbara Walters Chapman's first television appearance. On the 17th of December 1992 Larry King interviewed Chapman on his CNN program Larry King Live. Chapman refused to go on camera for Mugshots but consented to tell his story in audiotapes when his first parole hearing approached. He later said he regretted giving the impression that he killed Lennon for fame and notoriety.
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. A two- or three-member board has denied Chapman parole fourteen times since then. Before his first hearing Yoko Ono sent a letter requesting Chapman stay behind bars and serve out the remainder of his life sentence. In 2000 the board declined releasing him concluding it would deprecate the seriousness of the crime and undermine respect for the law. They noted Chapman had a good disciplinary record but lacked access to anti-violence programming. By 2006 approximately 6,000 people had signed an online petition opposing his release. In 2018 the board stated Chapman admittedly carefully planned and executed the murder for no reason other than to gain notoriety. The panel added that while no one person's life is more valuable than another's Chapman demonstrated callous disregard for human life. In 2025 Chapman was denied parole for the fourteenth time when he appeared before a board on August 27.
Two films center on Chapman and the murder: The Killing of John Lennon released in 2006 starring Jonas Ball as Chapman focuses on Chapman's life up to the murder. Chapter 27 released in 2007 starred Jared Leto as Chapman based on Jack Jones's book Let Me Take You Down attempting a nonjudgmental portrayal. These works have shaped public perception of the killer over decades. Chapman's story remains embedded in cultural memory through these cinematic interpretations. The films explore themes of obsession mental illness and the consequences of fame-seeking violence. No other major productions have focused exclusively on him since those two releases. Public discourse continues to reference these portrayals when discussing celebrity murders or the psychology of assassins.
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Common questions
When and where was Mark David Chapman born?
Mark David Chapman was born on the 10th of May 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas. His father served as a staff sergeant in the United States Air Force while his mother worked as a nurse.
What motivated Mark David Chapman to kill John Lennon?
Mark David Chapman turned against John Lennon due to religious conversion and Lennon's highly publicized 1966 remark about the band being more popular than Jesus. He also read Anthony Fawcett's book John Lennon: One Day at a Time detailing Lennon's lavish lifestyle.
How did Mark David Chapman commit the murder of John Lennon?
On the morning of the 8th of December 1980 Mark David Chapman fired five hollow-point bullets from a .38 special revolver four of which hit Lennon in the back and shoulder. Chapman remained at the scene reading The Catcher in the Rye when police arrived.
Where is Mark David Chapman currently imprisoned?
Mark David Chapman moved to Green Haven Correctional Facility in Beekman New York on the 30th of March 2022. He has been allowed regular conjugal visits since 2014 with his wife under the Family Reunion Program.
Has Mark David Chapman ever been granted parole?
A two- or three-member board has denied Mark David Chapman parole fourteen times since he first became eligible for parole in 2000. In 2025 Chapman was denied parole for the fourteenth time when he appeared before a board on August 27.