Photo: AFP
On December 8, 1980, Mark Chapman shot and killed John Lennon outside his New York City apartment. He stayed at the scene until authorities arrived and later pled guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to serve 20 year to life in prison and has been repeatedly denied parole. Last year marked his 12th failed attempt. Transcripts from the hearing were recently made available, and Chapman's explanation for killing the Beatles star was chilling.
“I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was evil. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted the fame so much that I was willing to give everything and take a human life. I am not going to blame anything else or anybody else for bringing me there,” he told the parole board (via Sky News).
“This was evil in my heart. I wanted to be somebody and nothing was going to stop that,” he continued before admitting that killing Lennon was “my big answer to everything. I wasn’t going to be a nobody anymore.”
Chapman also said he had a "selfish disregard for human life of global consequence."
Upon denying his release, the board told Chapman that his actions left "the world recovering from the void of which you created."
He will be eligible for parole again in February 2024.