Mark David Chapman: John Lennon's killer wrote chilling letters to arresting NYPD officer | Daily Mail Online comments Correspondence: Convicted killer Mark David Chapman wrote several chilling letters to his arresting officer The chilling contents of letters written by John Lennon’s killer have been revealed, showing his deep obsession with ‘Catcher on the Rye’ and his desire to be friends with his arresting officer. In a series of never-before-seen letters obtained by Page Six, Mark David Chapman details to NYPD officer Steve Spiro his deranged mind. He first wrote in 1983 that he ‘wanted to be friends’ with Officer Spiro, and asked if the cop would locate Chapman’s copy of ‘The Catcher in the Rye,’ which he had on him during the murder and was lost during Chapman’s arrest. The letters, which are being sold by Gary Zimet’s Moments in Time, which sells rare or historic documents, are valued at around $75,000. According to Page Six , Chapman sent three typed letters to the NYPD officer.

At the end of one, he mused that Mr Spiro was ‘still the best d*** cop in New York City.’ Chapman also eerily said: ‘We were all part of something big, Steve,’ adding that something ‘phenomenal’ was all going to ‘come out.’ In one of his letters, Chapman compared a self-immolating woman in Saigon to his belief in J.D. Salinger’s influential novel, saying that the poems found on her body were her legacy. ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ is my statement,’ Chapman wrote. Scroll down for video New York's finest: Police direct traffic outside the Dakota the morning after Lennon was shot to death in front of the building; the arresting officer, Steve Spiro, received letters from Chapman Moment in time: The 'Double Fantasy' album that John Lennon autographed for Mark David Chapman hours before the former postal delivery man shot the singer The convicted murderer also chillingly told Officer Spiro: ‘Lennon was a phony of the highest degree, but there were others who could – and would- have served the same purpose.’ Mr Spiro, who was the first officer on the scene of the shooting, said that he first thought the shots were fireworks over Central Park.

‘I grabbed the guy, Mark David Chapman,’ Mr Spiro said at the time. ‘I wheeled him around. I’m cuffing him…I turn to my right, and see John Lennon being carried out of the building.’ The two had no more interaction than that. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share According to a hearing transcript released last August, Chapman, 57, a former security guard from Hawaii, said during an August 22 parole hearing that he's been offered lodging and a farm job by Stanley Thurber in Medina, a village between Rochester and Buffalo. He also said that if he was granted parole, he would ‘probably stay right where I’m at’ – in prison. The convicted killer added: ‘I’m so bonded that I could probably assure you that, if released, I’d probably stay right where I’m at. ‘You know, once you stand on a rock for 20 years and feel the waves on you and you don’t go anywhere because you’re on a rock, you don’t want to move.’ Chapman, who was again denied parole last August, shot Lennon in December 1980 outside the Manhattan apartment building where the former Beatle lived.

He was sentenced in 1981 to 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Speaking about Mr Thuber in the hearing, Chapman told the parole board: 'He's a minister and he's an older fellow and he has a lot of contacts in the area and he has agreed to refurbish his upstairs apartment for me and offered me two jobs.’ Fated meeting: John Lennon signs Mark Chapman's copy of Double Fantasy outside the Dakota Building in 1980, hours before Chapman opened fire on the former Beatle and killed him Scene of the crime: Lennon lived at the Dakota Apartments on Manhattan's Upper West Side; there is now a plaque commemorating where the musician was shot He said his wife, Gloria Hiroko Chapman, met Thurber at a church function and was 'impressed by his deep commitment to Christ.' After corresponding with Mr Thurber, Chapman said, they met for the first time on August 20.

Young: Chapman was 25 when he murdered Lennon, and is seen in a December 9, 1980 booking photo During his latest hearing, Chapman remembered Lennon as a 'very cordial and very decent man' who stopped to sign an autograph hours before the murder. 'He was very kind to me,' Chapman said. 'Ironically, very kind and was very patient with me. The limousine was waiting, his wife was waiting in the limousine, and he took his time with me and he got the pen going and he signed my album. He asked me if I needed anything else. I said, no. No, sir and he walked way.' Chapman, who said his motivation for killing Lennon was instant notoriety, also told the parole board he was surprised more celebrities haven't been the targets of violence and said he has thought about someone trying to kill him as a way to gain fame as the person who avenged Lennon. 'To do something like that against another person, it's something that would keep me alive and boost me,' he said. 'That's ludicrous and I'm actually glad that that's not done more.

I thought maybe more people would do that and I'm glad that they have not. 'I'm surprised that they have not because this society is just geared toward celebrity like crazy.' Concealed: A day after the 1980 murder, Mark David Chapman, centre, is escorted out of police station with a jacket covering his face and head Weapon of choice: The .38 calibre handgun used by Mark David Chapman to kill John Lennon, seen on the 25th anniversary of Lennon's death, and stored by the NYPD Chapman, who has said he considered killing several other celebrities, told the parole board he wanted Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, to know that he felt no anger toward Lennon. 'It wasn't anything against her husband as a person, only as a famous person,' he said. 'If he was less famous than three or four other people on the list, he would not have been shot. And that's the truth.' At his previous hearing, he recalled that he had considered shooting Johnny Carson or Elizabeth Taylor instead, and said again that he chose Lennon because the ex-Beatle was more accessible.

He said that his century-old Upper West Side apartment building by Central Park 'wasn't quite as cloistered.' Reaction: Lennon's distraught fans gathered outside his apartment building on December 8, after he was gunned down Scottish holiday: John Lennon and Yoko Ono, with their children Julian Lennon and Kyoko Cox, on holiday at Durness, in Sutherland, Scotland Widow's grief: Yoko Ono, centre, pictured in 2005 visiting Strawberry Fields, has requested that Chapman not be granted parole in an email to the New York Department of Corrections Chapman fired five shots outside the Dakota apartment house on December 8, 1980, hitting Lennon four times in front of his wife, Yoko Ono, and others. The former security guard from Hawaii said that his motivation was instant notoriety but that he later realized he made a horrible decision for selfish reasons. 'I felt that by killing John Lennon I would become somebody and instead of that I became a murderer and murderers are not somebodies.' -Mark David Chapman 'I felt that by killing John Lennon I would become somebody and instead of that I became a murderer and murderers are not somebodies,' Chapman told the board two years ago.

Ono, 79, had said two years ago that she was trying to be 'practical' in asking that her husband's killer remain behind bars. She said Chapman might be a danger to her, other family members and perhaps even himself. In a 1992 interview at Attica, Chapman told Barbara Walters that it was dark when he shot Lennon in the back with a .38-caliber revolver after he exited a limousine, headed up the walkway to his apartment building and looked at Chapman. 'I heard this voice - not an audible voice, an inaudible voice - saying over and over, `Do it, do it, do it,'' Chapman said. He explained, 'I thought that by killing him I would acquire his fame.' He has been in protective custody with a good disciplinary record, according to corrections officials. Chapman was denied parole in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2012.

Fab four: The Beatles, from left to right, included George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, pictured in 1964 Let me take you down: Strawberry Fields, located in Central Park near the Dakota Apartments, serves as a gathering point for fans and those wishing to pay their respects Video: Chapman talks about voices in his head after being convicted Inside the mind of John Lennon's killer - CNN.com Inside the mind of John Lennon's killer By Danielle Sloane, CNN Updated 11:39 AM ET, Tue December 8, 2015 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. JUST WATCHED John Lennon's last words 01:56 Story highlights Tuesday marks 35 years since the death of John Lennon His killer, Mark David Chapman, remains in prison (CNN) There was a voice in his head, a gun in his hand, and John Lennon's wife right in front of him. Mark David Chapman knew exactly what he was doing when he decided to take the life of one of the world's most beloved musicians.

"When the car pulled up and Yoko got out, something in the back of my mind was going 'Do it, do it, do it,'" he said, recalling the night of December 8, 1980. "I stepped off the curb, walked, turned, I took the gun and just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom." Chapman was speaking with reporter Jim Gaines in a visiting room at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York, three years after he killed Lennon. After initially refusing interview requests, he had finally agreed to talk. The convicted killer sat with Gaines for hundreds of hours of exclusive taped conversations which have been obtained by CNN. Read More For Gaines, it was personal interest that compelled him to delve into the mystery of why Chapman killed Lennon. " John Lennon was murdered, and he was important to me. I think he was important to everybody in my generation," he said. For Chapman, it was the passage of time that he said allowed him to come to terms with his actions. "I have the strength to face the murder now," he explained to Gaines.

JUST WATCHED MUST WATCH 1980: Mourning John Lennon 01:29 These exchanges produced a comprehensive, first-person account of Chapman's life prior to the murder, his motivation for targeting Lennon, and how he felt about it all after time spent in prison. 'I always wanted to be a Beatle' To the surprise of many, including Gaines, Chapman said that throughout his childhood in Decatur, Georgia, he was a Beatles fan. "I always wanted to be a Beatle," he told Gaines. "I'd always think, man, what would it be like to be a Beatle?" Chapman specifically idolized Lennon. Recalling a particularly intense acid trip, he told a friend he thought he had become the former Beatle. However, his affection for Lennon eventually waned. JUST WATCHED MUST WATCH Friend opens up about John Lennon 20:28 High school friend Miles McManus said Chapman became angry at Lennon when he discovered he had proclaimed the Beatles "more popular than Jesus" in a 1966 interview with the London Evening Standard.

Chapman, a devout Christian, destroyed Beatles record albums and "even said he changed the words to 'Imagine' to 'Imagine if John were dead,'" McManus recalled. After graduating from high school and working at a YMCA, Chapman grew depressed and decided to move to Hawaii. Shortly after he arrived in 1977, a failed suicide attempt landed him at the Castle Medical Center in Honolulu. "I just gave up," Chapman said. After his hospitalization, he began working at the center and met Gloria Abe, a hospital volunteer and travel agent who helped him to plan a trip around the world. When he returned to Hawaii, the two began dating and married in June 1979. Despite the appearance of happiness and stability, Chapman said he was unable to escape his demons. "He kept talking about divorce," Gloria Abe Chapman revealed to Gaines during a 1985 interview. She described instances of abuse throughout the short time they lived together in Hawaii. Chapman began working as a security guard for a local condominium and frequenting the local library, where he came across two books that would alter the course of his life.

JUST WATCHED MUST WATCH The murder of John Lennon 00:30 After reading Anthony Fawcett's "John Lennon: One Day at a Time," his "10-year obsession with The Beatles congealed into a hatred of John Lennon in particular," Gaines explained. But the book that truly influenced him was "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D Salinger, and its protagonist, Holden Caulfield. "I really identified with him," he told Gaines, "his plight, his loneliness, his alienation from society." Eventually, the lines between his own life and Caulfield's began to blur. Chapman developed a deep-seated hatred of all things fake and, spurred by that and Fawcett's book, began to direct his rage toward Lennon -- "a poser," Gaines explained, who "espoused virtues and ideals that he didn't practice." Chapman soon decided that it was up to him to rid the world of Lennon. 'I couldn't stop' Throughout the fall of 1980, as Chapman began to fixate on murdering Lennon, he deteriorated.

Since childhood, whenever Chapman became unable to function, he'd "delegate his insanity" to a group inside his head that he called "the little people," according to Gaines, and described as "powerful" and "evil." It was also during this time, Gaines recounted, that Chapman began to "pray to Satan to give him the strength to murder John Lennon." JUST WATCHED MUST WATCH Letters from Lennon's killer revealed 04:09 By the end of October, Chapman decided that he was ready. He quit his job as a security guard, signing out as John Lennon on his final day. He flew to New York City on October 29, 1980, with a .38-caliber gun. However, Lennon was not his only target. He also contemplated killing Johnny Carson, Elizabeth Taylor and George C. Scott, according to the assistant district attorney who later prosecuted him. Eventually, when he realized that he could not legally obtain ammunition in New York, he flew to Atlanta to meet up with an old police officer friend who provided him with deadly hollow point bullets. Once he was back in New York, Chapman began to have second thoughts.

After seeing a screening of the film "Ordinary People," he called his wife in Hawaii. He told her he was coming home, and he confessed to what he had planned to do. Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions The Beatles arrived in the U.S. 50 years ago and embarked on a history-making path of pop culture dominance. "The Sixties: The British Invasion" looks at John, Paul, George and Ringo and how the Fab Four's influence persists. Over the years, the facts of the Beatles' story have sometimes been shoved out of the way by half-truths, misconceptions and outright fiction. Here are a few details you might have heard, with the true story provided by Mark Lewisohn's "Tune In" and others. Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions John Lennon once said that Ringo Starr not only wasn't the best drummer in rock, he wasn't the best drummer in the Beatles . Biographer Mark Lewisohn says this is a line from a TV comedy sketch in the 1980s -- after Lennon died. The Beatles actually defended Ringo strongly over the years.

Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions The Beatles were against wearing suits. Again, not true, says Lewisohn. Though Lennon later trashed the neat look as a sellout demanded by manager Brian Epstein, in the early '60s they were eager for a change. "I just saw it as playing a game," said Harrison. "I'll wear a f****** balloon if somebody's going to pay me!" said Lennon. Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions They grew up poor. Not really. Harrison's and McCartney's families were working class, and Lennon's childhood included trips to an upscale relative's house in Scotland. Only Starr, who was also sickly, grew up in poverty, in the blighted Dingle neighborhood. Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions They booted drummer Pete Best out of jealousy. Producer George Martin wasn't impressed by Best (second from left), and McCartney has said he "was holding us back." The rest of the Beatles were equally unsentimental.

Ringo Starr, who had played with the Beatles occasionally, was a far better drummer -- and when he joined, "from that moment on, it gelled," said Harrison. Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions Stu Sutcliffe was a terrible bassist. Though Sutcliffe (standing, third from left) was no McCartney, he went from complete neophyte to solid rhythm player during the band's Hamburg days. He left the job because he wanted to pursue his painting, and McCartney remembers being "lumbered with" the position as new bassist. Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions John Lennon saw his mother, Julia, killed in front of him. Julia Dykins, as she was known after her marriage to Bobby Dykins, died on July 15, 1958. After a chat with her sister, John's Aunt Mimi, she went to catch a bus and was hit by a car crossing Menlove Avenue. John found out about her death later that day. Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions The Beatles made their U.S.

television debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show," February 9, 1964. It was the band's first U.S. television performance, but they'd already been seen on American TV during a CBS News segment in December, 1963. Pieces from the segment also ran on Jack Paar's talk show in January 1964. Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions The title "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a reference to LSD. Though its imagery of "plasticine porters" and "kaleidoscope eyes" owes a lot to drugs (as well as John Lennon's fondness for Lewis Carroll-esque absurdity), the song was inspired by a drawing made by Lennon's son, Julian. Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions "Paul is dead." An elaborate theory -- perhaps best explained by Joel Glazier in a 1979 article for the Beatles fanzine "Strawberry Fields Forever" -- maintains that Paul McCartney (here with Brian Epstein) died in 1966 and was replaced by a talented double.

(There are dozens of clues for you all -- especially on the White Album.) Though it's fascinating to ponder all the backwards sounds and colorful images, this theory says more about our abilities to find patterns than it does about McCartney's fate. Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions The Beatles performed on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show." Lennon and McCartney did visit "Tonight" on May 14, 1968 , but they didn't perform -- and the guest host for the evening was Joe Garagiola. Ed McMahon was around, though. Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: The Beatles: Myths and misconceptions Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles. Oh, if only Yoko hadn't stolen John away from the group, they would have stayed together! Right. Actually, the Beatles were already fragmenting -- Ringo temporarily left during the making of the White Album, and George walked out during the "Get Back" sessions -- and financial issues were getting in the way of the music. Lennon was ready for something new, but everybody was tired.

Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon From the Hamburg days of the early '60s, when Astrid Kirchherr took some notable portraits of the Beatles, Lennon was one of the most photographed people in the world. This portrait of him dates to the late 1970s. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon Nishi F. Saimaru, who was a personal assistant and photographer for the Lennons from 1976 to 1979, took this portrait of Lennon around 1977. Lennon described it as his favorite. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon After Sean was born in 1975, Lennon became a househusband, doting on his young son. "I've attended every meal, and how he sleeps, and the fact he swims like a fish because I took him to the ocean," he said.

"I'm proud of all those things." This 1978 work is called "Family of Peace." Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon Lennon continued doing whimsical sketches, including one of two people kissing on television. "Love is the answer," it says, quoting a line from the song "Mind Games." The sketch, in black and white, originally appeared in his 1964 book, "In His Own Write." Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon John and Yoko moved to New York in 1971, first living in Greenwich Village, later in the Dakota on Central Park West. Food was a favorite topic: John loved baking bread, and on tapes of the "Double Fantasy" sessions, can be frequently heard ordering sushi. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon This sketch, of which there are many variations, has come to be known simply as "Self-Portrait." It's Lennon at his most familiar, with glasses, his distinctive beaked nose, longish hair and an impish smile.

Hide Caption Photos: The art of John Lennon Lennon titled this 1978 work "A Happy Life." Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon Another family sketch from the late '70s. "John was a great daddy," Yoko recalled. "He tried to do everything so right." Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon John and Yoko got married on March 20, 1969. Two months later, they spent a honeymoon week in Montreal doing a "bed-in" for peace. While receiving visitors at the hotel, Lennon started putting his feelings into words. The lyrics, listed above, became "Give Peace a Chance." The song was recorded live in the Montreal hotel room on June 1, 1969. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon Lennon's sketches of people were often basic, nothing more than a head and a blobby body. Still, the message got across, as with this sketch to "turn left and make peace." Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon Some sketches are like single-panel cartoons, complete with punch line.

In this one, Lennon faces a phone, "willing it to ring." Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon This work, called "On Cloud 9," shows John and Yoko in the sky. Naturally, he hasn't forgotten his trusty guitar. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon "Perhaps life's karmic wheel had bent his spokes," notes this sketch. "Surrealism had a great effect on me because then I realized that the imagery in my mind wasn't insanity. Surrealism to me is my reality," Lennon once said. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon Lennon loved New York, not least because he could wander freely around stores and through Central Park. If people accosted him, it was usually for a handshake or an autograph. Still, there were always folks who described themselves as one of his "biggest fans." Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon During Lennon and Ono's 1969 honeymoon, the couple visited Amsterdam, Vienna and Paris, where this sketch was done.

Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: The art of John Lennon Lennon's song "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" has been a holiday staple since 1971. The song's peace-loving message is as timeless as this sketch of a tree surrounded by visitors: "War is over if you want it." Hide Caption 1 of 11 Photos: The Looks of Lennon "Twist and Shout." At the Cavern Club, Liverpool, Lennon swaggers in leathers that would make Motorhead frontman Lemmy blush. Hide Caption 2 of 11 Photos: The Looks of Lennon "I saw her standing there." Lennon shows a growing maturity, suited up for an early TV appearance on UK Granada TV's "Late Scene" in 1963.

Hide Caption 3 of 11 Photos: The Looks of Lennon "A Hard Days Night." With a corduroy overcoat that wouldn't be out of place today, a moody Lennon arrives at the Dorchester Hotel, London, after the publication of his first book, "In His Own Write." Hide Caption 4 of 11 Photos: The Looks of Lennon "Tomorrow Never Knows." Lennon, along with the rest of the Beatles, became distinctly more relaxed about his wear in 1966, as the Sixties became increasingly psychedelic. Hide Caption 5 of 11 Photos: The Looks of Lennon "Give Peace A Chance." Lennon breaks out the military garb as he plays Private Gripweed in Richard Lester's film "How I Won the War," in 1966. Hide Caption 6 of 11 Photos: The Looks of Lennon "The Magical Mystery Tour is coming to take you away..." Back to suits, sort of: Lennon sports a bowler hat and badges during the filming of "The Magical Mystery Tour" in 1967.

Hide Caption 7 of 11 Photos: The Looks of Lennon "Dear Yoko." The spectacles remain, but Lennon is distinctly more relaxed come 1968, fully embracing the hippy look, with long hair and a shaggy fur coat. Hide Caption 8 of 11 Photos: The Looks of Lennon "Golden Slumbers." Fully embracing the pajama look, Lennon's hair begins to take center stage in 1969. Hide Caption 9 of 11 Photos: The Looks of Lennon "Well Well Well." Lennon and Ono are out of bed but the hair remains, alongside some impressive headwear, circa 1970.

Hide Caption John Lennon's killer denied parole, talks about murder - CNN.com "Bright light of fame, of infamy, notoriety" of killing Lennon was irresistible, Chapman says "I found my peace in Jesus," he tells the New York parole board Parole commissioners deny Chapman's 8th request for freedom Chapman is serving a 20-years-to-life sentence for murdering John Lennon in 1980 The bullets that killed Beatle John Lennon were given to Mark David Chapman by an Atlanta police officer who was his friend, Chapman told a parole board as he made his case -- for an eighth time -- to be freed. Chapman said he sold a Norman Rockwell painting to finance the assassination plot, which he described as "very well thought out." It involved "incredible planning, absolutely, incredible stalking." Chapman, 59, fired five rounds into Lennon outside New York's Dakota Hotel on the evening of December 8, 1980. But in the 34 years since then, Chapman has found God, he testified to three New York parole commissioners August 20. "I found my peace in Jesus," Chapman said. "I know him. He loves me. He has forgiven me.

He has helped in my life like you wouldn't believe." Chapman's parole was denied for the eighth time. He also told the parole board that he was "an idiot" for killing Lennon "and choosing the wrong way to glory." But the "bright light of fame, of infamy, notoriety" was irresistible, he added. 8th bid for release Chapman's testimony last week was his eighth request for freedom since he became eligible for release under the 20-years-to-life sentence for his second-degree murder conviction. The commissioners denied parole as they've done seven times before -- in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012. JUST WATCHED MUST WATCH Friend opens up about John Lennon 20:28 The decision said the board found a "reasonable probability that (Chapman) would not live and remain at liberty without again violating the law" and that his release "would be incompatible with the welfare of society and would so deprecate the serious nature of the crime as to undermine respect for the law." The hearing transcript and the decision were made public Wednesday.

The commissioners questioned Chapman about why he decided to kill Lennon and how he carried out the murder. "I was confused," he told them. "I needed a lot of attention at that time, and I took it out on him." Chapman, who was 25 at the time, said his life had "sunk to a depressed state" and he was drinking. "I just saw that as my way out, you know, a lazy way out of my doldrums. It was a horrible decision, but I knew what I was doing." Decision was made at a young age The idea of killing Lennon began when he read a book about the Beatles as a child, a time when be was "feeling left out," he said. "I just said to myself what would happen if I killed him," Chapman said. "I remember that, and then the idea just avalanched on me that this was something I am going to have to do. It grabbed ahold of me and wouldn't let go." He acknowledged to the board that he had several "alternate targets" to kill, although the names were redacted in the published transcript. The commissioners noted that all of the former targets are now dead.

Retired cop reveals letters from Lennon's killer The police officer who arrested him showed CNN letters sent to him by Chapman in 1983 saying that actors Marlon Brando and George C. Scott, former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis and CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite were on his hit list. He made two trips to New York to stalk and plan, he said. His first trip ended when his wife convinced him to return to their home in Hawaii, where he said he tried to get counseling. "They said that there was a backup and they couldn't see me," Chapman said. He convinced his wife that he had thrown away his gun and she had no idea his second trip to New York was to kill someone, he said "I told her I was coming to New York to write a book, a children's book, and that I kind of needed space to find myself and she believed me," Chapman testified. "She really did. I think if she would have thought otherwise she would have stopped somebody or called somebody. I was very convincing." He sold a Norman Rockwell painting to pay his airfare to New York from Hawaii and his hotel expenses, he said.

Mark David Chapman Fast Facts Bullets came from police officer Chapman, who grew up in Atlanta, said he stopped in his hometown on the way. He asked a friend who was an Atlanta police officer for help. "I told him I had the gun, but I couldn't get bullets, and I needed protection while I was in New York," he said. "He gave me five bullets." Lennon was "very kind" to him when Chapman encountered him before the shooting, even signing a copy of his latest album, he testified. He knew he "could have turned it around" and not killed Lennon, but he chose not to, he said. "That bright light of fame, of infamy, notoriety was there," Chapman said. "I couldn't resist it. My self-esteem was shot, and I was looking for an easy way out. It was a bad way out, but it was the way I chose and it was horrible." Lennon a 'great and talented man' He told the parole board that he realized the pain he has caused by killing Lennon, who he said was "a great and talented man." "I am sorry for causing that type of pain," he said.

"I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way to glory." He's no longer seeking notoriety, he said. "Got enough of that. I don't need anymore." "I am interested in one thing and that's ministering to prisoners," he said. "Me and my wife have a ministry. We distribute brochures that tell people about Christ." His wife has stood by him for 35 years. She visited last year and is planning to visit later this year, he said. "I can't believe she stuck with me all these years but she has," he said. "We're closer to the Lord now than we were on the street, so I am going to credit him with keeping our marriage together and our sanity, but she is still with me." If freed, he has a job lined up with a New York minister, he said. His skills include fixing wheelchairs, which he does as a prison job, he said. He told the commissioners he expected them to deny his parole and he understood they are just doing their jobs. Chapman, who is being held at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, will have another chance for parole in 2016.

John Lennon's Killer Mark David Chapman Denied Parole for Seventh Time - ABC News ABC News John Lennon's Killer Mark David Chapman Denied Parole for Seventh Time By Alyssa Newcomb New York State Department of Corrections WATCH John Lennon's Killer Denied Parole for 7th Time 0 Shares Email John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, was denied parole today for the seventh time. "You shot and killed an innocent victim, an international music star," the New York State Board of Parole wrote to Chapman. "Your actions clearly demonstrated a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life." Chapman, 57, pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life for gunning down the Beatle outside of his Manhattan apartment complex on Dec. 8, 1980 . For his seventh parole hearing, Chapman was interviewed by video conference at the maximum security Wende Correctional Facility at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, N.Y., where he is being held. The parole board noted that Chapman's record does not have any prior convictions and that they took into consideration his good conduct in prison, educational accomplishments, his remorse, letters of support and "significant" opposition to his release.

But the board decided that "parole shall not be granted for good conduct and program completions alone." "Therefore, 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," the board wrote. At Chapman's last parole hearing in September 2010, he told the board that there were other names on his list of potential targets, including Johnny Carson and Elizabeth Taylor and two others he could not recall. "I was going through that in my mind the other day; I knew you would ask that," Chapman told officials during the 2010 hearing. "Johnny Carson was one of them. Elizabeth Taylor. I lose memory of perhaps the other two." "If it wasn't Lennon, it could have been someone else," he said. Chapman said he chose the Beatle because he was the most accessible target on his list. Yoko Ono, the wife of the late musician, said in 2010 that she opposed paroling Chapman and believed he could be a danger to her and her family.

Chapman became eligible for parole on Dec. 4, 2000, according to the New York Department of Corrections. The Department of Corrections released an updated photo of Chapman that was taken on May 15, 2012. Chapman's next scheduled parole hearing will be in August 2014. 0 Shares Inside The Mind Of A Killer: Mark David Chapman Reveals Why He ‘Couldn’t Resist’ Killing John Lennon In Transcript Of His Latest Parole Board Appearance — Wanted ‘Fame,’ ‘Infamy, Notoriety' | Radar Online Getty Getty John Lennon ’s killer was denied parole for the eighth time last week after already serving 34 years for his crime. But RadarOnline.com has obtained the transcript from Mark David Chapman ’s meeting, and can exclusively reveal what exactly Chapman was thinking when he planned to murder the famed songwriter.

Saying he was in a deep depression and looking to get out of his “doldrums,” Chapman told the parole board that he wanted to shoot Lennon because “I had extremely selfish motives for my own self-glory …I could have turned it around, didn’t do it.” While he completely owned up to the mistake he made, saying it was a “bad way out,” Chapman had no qualms discussing what initially attracted him to the idea and what ultimately became of his decision. “That bright light of fame, of infamy, notoriety was there,” he confessed. “I couldn’t resist it. My self-esteem was shot, and I was looking for an easy way out.” READ THE SHOCKING TRANSCRIPT After he decided on what he would ultimately do, Chapman put his plan into motion, which included “incredible stalking.” Although he would see his plan through on Dec. 8, 1980 , that wasn’t his only attempt. Three months prior to Lennon’s actual murder, Chapman determined that he was at The Dakota and thought about committing the crime right then and there.

But after confessing to his wife what he had planned to do, she convinced him to return home to Hawaii to seek treatment; however, he was told there was a backup and no one could see him at the time. “…The thoughts subsided for awhile,” Chapman said, but then “they started building again.” He resumed his trips to New York to stalk The Beatles singer , but eventually his trips became too costly. As a result, he sold his father-in-law’s Norman Rockwell painting to fund his plan. He told his wife that he was travelling to New York to write a children’s book, and explained that her naivety made it easy to lie. “She believed me…I think if she would have thought otherwise she would have stopped somebody or called somebody,” he said. “I was very convincing. “This wasn’t a, you know, naïve crime. It was a serious, well thought out crime.” But 34 years later, his wife stuck with him regardless of his actions. When the parole board asked him if he would crave the fame and notoriety again in the future, he simply explained that he wouldn’t because “I got enough of that.

I don’t need anymore.” Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison in 1981 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman brags about 'incredible planning and stalking' | Daily Mail Online Next 'It took incredible planning and incredible stalking': Mark Chapman BRAGS about killing John Lennon and how he couldn't resist 'that bright light of fame' in latest parole hearing John Lennon's killer talked about the notorious 1980 murder as he appeared in front of a parole board last week Mark David Chapman, now 59, was denied parole for the eighth time Shot dead the music legend outside his Manhattan apartment on December 8, 1980 and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison Mark David Chapman - John Lennon's Killer John Lennon's Killer By Charles Montaldo Updated December 10, 2015. Mark David Chapman is the convicted murderer of John Lennon who was the co-founder and former member of the band the Beatles. On December 8, 1980, Chapman shot Lennon four times in the back as Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono, entered their apartment building.

Early Years Mark Chapman was born on May 10, 1955, in Fort Worth, Texas to David Curtis Chapman and Kathryn Elizabeth Pease. As a child Chapman was afraid of his father who was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and physically abusive to both Mark and his mother. As an escape Chapman would fantasize about having infinite power over a group he called the "little people." In later years Chapman admitted that he actually conversed with the "little people." Teen Years Chapman was introduced to drugs early on and before the age of 16, he had experimented with marijuana, LSD, heroin, mescaline and barbiturates. He also began running away from home and developed more of an interest in rock music and drugs, than in getting through school. At the age of 16 he became a born-again Christian and began working as a summer camp counselor at a YMCA camp. It is also during this time that he met his first girlfriend, Jessica Blankenship, also a born-again Christian. Life seemed to be going well for Chapman. He was popular among the children at the camp and became the assistant director after winning an award for Outstanding Counselor.

After High School Chapman moved to Chicago after his high school graduation. He continued to mingle with his Christian friends and played guitar with a church band. His work with the YMCA continued and he became the area coordinator and worked closely with Vietnamese refugees at a resettlement camp at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas. He was also sent to Lebanon for a short trip to carry on the same work. His job included being an aide to program director, David Moore, and he would often accompany Moore to top-level meetings with government officials. Chapman also had the opportunity to shake hands with President Gerald Ford . During this time a friend recommended that Chapman read "The Catcher in the Rye". The book had a profound effect on Chapman, to the point where he wished to emulate the life of the main character, Holden Caulfield. Guilt Around 1976 Chapman moved to Lookout, Georgia to be with his girlfriend Jessica Blankenship. They were both attending Covenant College, but Chapman became ridden with guilt over having cheated on Jessica and his grades soon tumbled. He began having suicidal thoughts and deep self esteem issues. He decided to break off his relationship and he dropped out of school, returning to the one place where he felt successful - the resettlement camp.

But after getting into an argument there, Chapman left and found a job as a security guard and armed guard. He also attempted to return to college, but dropped out. After his failure at college he decided he would go to Hawaii and kill himself, but failed at his one attempt. He was found and admitted to the Castle Memorial Hospital and diagnosed with clinical depression. When he was released he was given a part-time job with patients, playing guitar and participating in patient counseling. Around the World In 1978, Chapman took a six-week trip around the world. It is during this time that he met his first wife, a travel agent named Gloria Abe. The two were married on June 2, 1979. After his marriage he returned to Castle Memorial Hospital to work, but was eventually fired after arguing with a nurse. He then began working as a night security guard and spent much of his time drinking, possibly to dull his obsessive thoughts that were beginning to take hold. Deep Obsessions From 1978 to 1980 Chapman's mind began to progressively dissolve and he began hearing voices, much like he had during his childhood years.

He also began to obsess over things, specifically "The Catcher in the Rye," art and John Lennon. He wrote in a letter to a friend that he felt like he was, "going nuts," and signed the letter, "The Catcher in the Rye." Obsession - Kill John Lennon One of his obsessions, which he put into action in October 1980, was to kill John Lennon . After making the trip to New York in October with all intentions of acting on his plan, he was delayed and had to go to Atlanta to purchase ammunition from a friend. When he returned in November, again fully intending to kill Lennon, he went to see the movie "Ordinary People" and changed his mind. He returned to Hawaii, and told his wife that he had been obsessed with killing Lennon, but snapped out of it after watching the movie. Apparently it didn't last long. He returned to New York on December 6 with his plan to kill Lennon back on schedule. Chapman checked into the Sheraton Hotel and staged his hotel room with various personal items for the police to find after he killed Lennon.

He purchased a copy of The Catcher in the Rye, and wrote inside the cover, "This is my statement" and signed it "Holden Caulfield." After checking out from the hotel in the morning of December 8, he headed over to the Dakota apartment building and waited for Lennon to appear. He lurked around the entrance most of the day talking with other Lennon fans and the doormen on duty. During the day he had the opportunity to speak with Lennon's housekeeper who was out walking with Lennon's son, 5-year-old Sean. At around 5 pm, Lennon and Ono Yoko left their apartment building and passed Chapman on the way to their limousine. Chapman asked for Lennon's autograph on Lennon's new album, "Double Fantasy," which Lennon signed then shook Chapman's hand. Chapman later said, "At that point my big part won and I wanted to go back to my hotel, but I couldn't. I waited until he came back.

He knew where the ducks went in winter, and I needed to know this." The statement references the character Holden who has this same thought throughout "The Catcher in the Rye." The Murder The Lennon's returned to the Dakota at around 10:49 pm, and walked past Chapman toward the entrance into their apartment building. As they passed Chapman turned and shot five times with a Charter Arms .38 Special revolver. Four of the bullets struck Lennon in the back and shoulder. One of the bullets dissected Lennon's aorta, which caused severe bleeding. Lennon was transferred by police car to Roosevelt Hospital. Chapman, who stood reading "The Catcher in the Rye," was arrested. Lennon was pronounced dead at 11:07 pm at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center. Caulfield or the Devil? Chapman was charged with second degree murder. During the police interview, Chapman stated, "I'm sure the large part of me is Holden Caulfield, who is the main person in the book. The small part of me must be the Devil." The Trial It was determined that although Chapman was delusional, he was competent enough to stand trial.

Chapman's lawyer, Jonathan Marks, entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. But in June, Chapman decided he wanted to plead guilty because God told him to do it. It was determined that Chapman made the decision of his own free will and he was declared competent to plead guilty. He was sentenced to 20 years to life, less than the maximum possible of 25 years to life. When Chapman was asked if he had anything to say, he rose and read a passage from "The Catcher in the Rye ," when Holden tells his little sister, Phoebe, what he wants to do with his life: "Anyway, 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." Update August 28, 2014: John Chapman was denied parole for the eight time since his incarceration in 1980, after being found guilty of killing John Lennon. He became parole eligible in 2006. During his parole hearing. Chapman seemed to boast about his crime, telling the New York State Parole Board, that murdering Lennon took, “incredible planning, absolutely incredible stalking,”...“This wasn’t a, you know, naive crime. It was a serious, well-thought-out crime ... No question about it.” He also said that he was depressed during that time and took it out on Lennon. According to the parole board, he was denied parole out of concern that he would commit another crime and for his own personal safety. Chapman is currently in involuntary protective custody at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, N.Y. John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman has sex once a year Email a friend SHE gets just 44 hours alone with her husband once each year.

Gloria Chapman’s husband is Mark David Chapman , the man who killed musician John Lennon — hitting him four times in the back at close range — outside the Dakota apartment building in New York on December 8, 1980. He stayed at the scene reading J D Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye until police arrived and arrested him. DENTIST WANTS TO CLONE JOHN LENNON Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in jail with a stipulation that mental health treatment be provided. He has been denied parole eight times with strong campaigns against his release. In an interview, Gloria Chapman has revealed she only gets to see Chapman, whom she is “more in love with than ever”, once annually in a caravan at Wende prison in Alden, New York, where he is serving his sentence. “The first thing I do is kiss Mark. They allow us to do that. We are a loving couple,” she told the Daily Mail. “On the visits, I bring the food and Mark and I make a homemade pizza. We lay out all the ingredients — peppers, tomatoes, onions and cheeses because Mark likes crunchy snacks but he doesn’t eat unhealthy things.

There is a television and we watch lots of episodes of Wheel Of Fortune.” The pair have sex — “well it’s great ... of course, it’s great”. Founding member of The Beatles ... John Lennon. Picture: AP / John LindsaySource:News Limited Shot and killed John Lennon ... Mark David Chapman.Source:AP She revealed that Chapman and her had written letters to Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, asking for forgiveness. “If Mark could say anything to John and Yoko now, he would say: ‘I’m sorry I caused such pain,’” she said, holding a Bible to her chest. “He would say: ‘I hope you have forgiven me.’” “John was a nice person but Mark wasn’t thinking about that, that day, and put himself first. That was his mistake.” Chapman, 59, killed Lennon because he was a fantasist. Gloria Chapman said that her husband told her he murdered Lennon: “Because the bright light of fame, of infamy, notoriety was there.

I couldn’t resist it.” Tracing the Steps of John Lennon's Killer Tracing the Steps of John Lennon's Killer On 12/8/14 at 2:54 PM Newsweek Culture John Lennon Assassination Music Industry A few weeks after John Lennon was shot by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman, Newsweek devoted a special report to the singer, painstakingly tracing the steps of his killer and describing the mourning that followed the Dec. 8, 1980 shooting of the beloved Beatle. Read one of the issue stories, published in the Dec. 22, 1980 issue. Come together, he had once asked them in a song, and now they came, tens of thousands of them, to share their grief and shock at the news. John Lennon, once the cheeky wit and sardonic soul of the Beatles, whose music had touched a generation and enchanted the world, had been slain on his doorstep by a confused, suicidal young man who had apparently idolized him. Along New York’s Central Park West and West 72nd Street, in front of the building where Lennon had lived and died, they stood for hours in tearful vigil, looking to each other and his music for comfort.

The scene was repeated in Dallas’s Lee Park, at San Francisco’s Marina Green, on the Boston Common and in countless other gathering places around the country and the world. Young and old, black and white, they lit candles and softly sang his songs. “All you need is love,” they chanted in the rain. “Love is all you need.” As the unofficial leader of the Beatles, Lennon had exerted a numinous influence on the popular culture of the 1960s and 1970s. But in recent years he had been something of a recluse, a refugee from the maelstrom of pop superstardom who had abandoned the recording studio and public life in an effort to devote himself to raising his son Sean, now 5. He emerged from his self-imposed retreat just five months ago, on the eve of his 40th birthday, a man finally at peace with himself, the creative juices once again flowing. He and his wife, Yoko Ono, released their first album in eight years and were putting the finishing touches on a second. He was, as he titled his most popular new song, “Starting Over,” “[I’m Only] 40,” he said cheerfully.

“God willing, there are another 40 years of productivity to go.” But as he and Yoko returned home from a late-night session at a recording studio early last week, a 25-year-old doppelgänger named Mark David Chapman popped out of the darkness and shot Lennon. Try Newsweek for only $1.25 per week Distraught: The killing stunned the nation – and much of the world – as nothing had since the political assassinations of the 1960s. “At first, I didn’t believe he was really dead,” said Chris Backus, one of a thousand mourners who assembled the next day at the ABC entertainment complex in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Lennon. “When I realized it was true, then – bang! – part of my childhood was gone forever.” As the news spread, radio stations throughout North America and Europe threw away their play lists and began broadcasting nothing but music by Lennon and the Beatles. Even Radio Moscow devoted 90 minutes to his songs. “The phones started ringing right after the news and they didn’t stop all day,” reported disc jockey Traver Hulse of KATT-FM in Oklahoma City.

“It was like losing a President.” Distraught fans also descended on record stores, snapping up virtually every Lennon album available. “It was like they had just been robbed of something,” said manager Gary Crawford of Strawberries, a downtown Boston record store. “They wanted to replace that something right away.” The question asked over and over again was why – why had Chapman, a moody unemployed amateur guitar player who lived and worked in the South before moving to Hawaii three years ago, killed a man he was said to have admired for fifteen years? There were no simple answers. Police said Chapman told them of hearing “voices,” of having “a good side and a bad side,” of being annoyed at the way Lennon scrawled his autograph when Chapman first approached him six hours before the shooting. Friends talked of Chapman’s obsessive identification with Lennon – how he used to play Beatles songs constantly on his guitar, how he taped the name “John Lennon” over his own on the ID badge he wore as a maintenance man at a Honolulu condominium, how he emulated Lennon by marrying a Japanese woman several years his senior. And psychologists noted that before taking Lennon’s life, Chapman had twice tried to take his own.

“He had already tried to kill himself and he was unsuccessful, so he decided to kill Lennon,” speculated a forensic psychiatrist in Hawaii. “The homicide was simply a suicide turned backward.” Mementos and flowers left by fans lay around the Imagine mosaic in the Strawberry Fields section of Central Park on the 33th anniversary of the death of former Beatle John Lennon, in New York, December 8, 2013. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters ‘Normal Dude’: Chapman had apparently been planning to shoot Lennon for weeks. Late in October he quit his job as a maintenance man and applied to the Honolulu police for a pistol permit. Since he had no criminal record, the permit was granted – and on Oct. 27, he went to J&S Sales, Ltd., in Honolulu and paid $169 for a five-shot Charter Arms .38 special. “Just a normal dude,” says J&S manager Tom Grahovac. At about the same time, Chapman called local art dealer Pat Carlson, who had sold him a number of expensive lithographs. He wanted to sell one, he told her, because he needed to raise some money. He also called the employment counselor who had found him the condominium job.

“He said to me that he had something really big he was planning to do,” she recalled. A week or so later, Chapman left Honolulu for Atlanta, Ga., where he had grown up and gone to school. He told acquaintances that he was in town to see his father, but he never did. Instead, he dropped in on an old girlfriend and visited his high-school chorus teacher, Madison Short. Though the girlfriend’s parents said he seemed depressed, Short recalled him insisting that “he was happy, content with his lot in life.” Chapman said nothing about going to New York or seeking out John Lennon. After a few days he returned home to Honolulu, but on Dec. 5 he was off again. His wife, Gloria, had no idea of his plans. “She knew he was going somewhere,” Gloria’s lawyer, Brook Hart, said, “but she didn’t know precisely where.” Boast: He arrived in New York on Saturday, Dec. 6, and checked into a $16.50-a-night room at a YMCA just nine blocks from the Dakota, the elegant, century-old apartment building where Lennon and his family lived. That afternoon, taxi driver Mark Snyder picked up Chapman in his cab.

According to Snyder, Chapman boasted that he was Lennon’s sound engineer, that he was in the midst of a recording session with him and that he had just learned that Lennon and his long-estranged songwriting partner Paul McCartney were going to make an album together. The same day, Chapman was seen for the first time loitering near an entrance to the Dakota. No one took much notice, the building is home to a number of celebrities – among them, conductor Leonard Bernstein, actress Lauren Bacall and comedienne Gilda Radner – and sidewalk gawkers are a common sight. Chapman reappeared outside the Dakota on Sunday as well. He also changed hotels on Sunday, moving from the Y to a more comfortable $82-a-day room at the Sheraton Centre farther downtown. On Monday evening Chapman’s and Lennon’s paths finally crossed. Once again Chapman had spent the afternoon on the sidewalk outside the Dakota – this time in the company of Paul Goresh, a Beatles fan and amateur photographer from North Arlington, N.J. Goresh, who was also hoping to catch a glimpse of Lennon, said Chapman struck up a conversation as they waited. “He said he spent the last three days trying to see Lennon and get an autograph,” Goresh recalled.

At about 5 p.m., Lennon and his wife finally emerged from the bilding on their way to The Record Plant Studios on West 44th Street. Chapman approached Lennon timidly, holding out a copy of John and Yoko’s latest album, “Double Fantasy.” Lennong took it and scrawled his signature (“John Lennon 1980”) across the cover, while Goresh snapped a picture. Chapman was delighted. “John Lennon signed my album,” he exulted to Goresh after the Lennons had left. “Nobody in Hawaii is going to believe me.” The two men remained outside the Dakota for another two hours. When Goresh finally decided to go home, Chapman tried to change his mind. Lennon, he said, “should be home soon and you can get your album signed.” Goresh replied that he could get Lennon’s autograph another day. “I’d wait,” Chapman advised somberly.

“You never know if you’ll see him again.” The Lennons worked at The Record Plant until 10:30 p.m., mixing the sound for a new single, tentatively titled “Walking on Thing Ice.” “We had planned to go out to eat after leaving the recording studio,” Yoko said later,” but we decided to go straight home instead.” Their rented limousine delivered them to the Dakota’s 72nd Street entrance at about 10:50 p.m. The limousine could have driven into the entranceway, but it stopped at the curb. Yoko got out first, with John trailing a few steps behind. As he passed under the ornate archway leading to the Dakota’s interior courtyard, he heard a voice call out from behind. “Mr. Lennon.” He turned to see Chapman crouched 5 feet away gripping his .38 special with both hands. Before Lennon had a chance to react, Chapman opened fire, pumping four bullets into his back and left shoulder. “I’m shot!” Lennon gasped. Leaving a trail of blood behind him, he staggered six steps into the doorman’s office, where he collapsed.

Susananah Greenwood from Worcester in Massachussets, U.S. lights a candle by the legendary John Lennon's Wall in the historical center of Prague, December 8, 2010, to commemorate his murder outside his Manhattan apartment building in New York 30 years ago. Petr Josek Snr/Reuters Calm: While Yoko cradled her husband’s head in her arm, Chapman dropped his gun, and the doorman kicked it away. “Do you know what you just did?” the doorman asked Chapman dazedly. “I just shot John Lennon,” came the calm reply. Summoned by the doorman, police were on the scene within minutes. Chapman waited for them, thumbing through a copy of J.D. Salinger’s classic novel of adolescent rebellion, “The Catcher in the Rye.” While two officers frisked and handcuffed him, two others attended to Lennon. “I turned him over,” said Patrolman Anthony Palma. “Red is all I saw.” Palma turned to a rookie cop, who was on the verge of being sick. “The guy is dying,” he said.

“Let’s get him out of here.” Lennon, semiconscious and bleeding profusely, was placed in the back seat of Officer James Moran’s patrol car. “Do you know who you are?” Moran asked him. Lennon couldn’t speak. “He moaned and nodded his head as if to say yes,” Moran said. While Moran raced Lennon to Roosevelt Hospital fifteen blocks away, Palma followed in his car with Yoko. “Tell me it isn’t true, tell me he’s all right,” she implored him over and over again. Though doctors pronounced Lennon dead on arrival at Roosevelt, a team of seven surgeons labored desperately to revive him. But his wounds were too severe. There were three holes in his chest, two in his back and two in his left shoulder. “It wasn’t possible to resuscitate him by any means,” said Dr. Stephen Lynn, the hospital’s director of emergency services. “He’d lost 3 to 5 quarts of blood from the gun wounds, about 80 per cent of his blood volume.” After working on Lennon for about half an hour, the surgeons gave up, and Lynn went to break the news to Yoko. “Where is my husband?” she asked franctically.

“I want to be with my husband. He would want me to be with him. Where is he?” Lynn took a deep breath. “We have very bad news,” he told her. “Unfortunately, in spite of our massive efforts, your husband is dead. There was no suffering at the end.” Yoko refused to comprehend the message. “Are you saying he is sleeping?” she sobbed. Accompanied by David Geffen, whose Geffen Records was producing the Lennons’ new album, Yoko returned home about midnight. She made three phone calls, to “the three people that John would have wanted to know” – his 17-year-old son by his first marriage, Julian; his aunt, Mimi Smith, who had raised him, and his onetime collaborator, Paul McCartney. Shrine: As word of the shooting spread throughout the city, a spontaneous vigil began to form outside the Dakota. By 1 a.m., a crowd of nearly a thousand had gathered. They sang Lennon songs, lit candles and turned the building’s gate into an impromptu shrine, covering it with flowers and pictures of John and Yoko.

Within minutes, news of Lennon’s death had been flashed round the world, sparking a public outpouring not seen since John Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. President Carter spoke of the irony that Lennon “died by violence, though he had long campaigned for peace”; President-elect Reagan pronounced it “a great tragedy.” In London, a portrait of the Beatles draped with a floral tribute was placed at the entrance to the Tate Gallery. “We usually do this when a British artist whose work is represented in the Tate dies,” a spokesman said. “But we thought John Lennon was a special case.” In Lennon’s hometown of Liverpool, the lord mayor announced plans to hold a memorial service for him at the city’s giant cathedral, and local teen-agers placed wreaths at the parking lot that was once the site of the Cavern club, where the Beatles had gotten their start. In New York, hundreds of thousands of mourners planned to gather for a Sunday afternoon memorial in Central Park, not far from the Dakota. Of the three other former Beatles, only Ringo Starr came to New York to be with Yoko. George Harrison canceled a recording session and reportedly went into seclusion.

And McCartney, who called his ex-partner “a great man who will be sadly missed,” said he would mourn Lennon in private. Yoko also stayed out of sight. Two days after the shooting, she released a poignant statement describing how she told Sean of his father’s death. “Now Daddy is part of God,” she reported Sean as saying. “I guess when you die you become much more bigger because you’re part of everything.” Yoko also announced there would be no funeral; after Lennon’s body was cremated privately, she invited mourners to participate – “from wherever you are at the time” – in a ten-minute silent vigil on Sunday afternoon. “John loved and prayed for the human race,” she said. “Please pray the same for him.” Chapman, meanwhile, was charged with second-degree murder (since New York has abandoned the death penalty, first-degree murder is no longer used as a charge) and ordered to undergo 30 days of extensive psychiatric testing.

He was first sent, under heavy guard, to a cell at the city’s most famous Bellevue Hospital, where he was placed on a 24-hour “suicide watch.” But as fears of a Jack Ruby-style revenge killing grew, officials decided to transport him to the more remote jail on Riker’s Island. Related Stories Lennon's On Sale Again Chapman’s second court-appointed attorney, Jonathan Marks, who was assigned the case after the accused murderer’s first lawyer quit, said his client probably would plead not guilty by reason of insanity. “Obviously, Mark Chapman’s mental state is a critical issue in this case,” Marks told reporters. “In order to convict, the [prosecution] must show criminal intent.” Though Lennon appealed to people of all ages, races and classes, it was the baby-boom generation, now in its 20s and 30s, that was hardest hit by his murder. “We grew up together,” said Julie Cohen, a 27-year-old teacher who was among the 2,000 mourners who gathered at San Francisco’s Marina Green last week to honor him.

“I felt there must be some way it could not be true, that it must be a mistake.” Secretary Christy Lyou, 32, who showed up along with 2,500 others in Dallas’s Lee Park for a similar memorial, said: “It’s the last nail in the coffin of the ‘60s.” However keen the sense of loss, those closest to Lennon rejected the notion that his death marked the passing of an era. “We had planned so much together,” Yoko said the day her husband was cremated. “We had talked about living until we were 80. We even drew up lists of all the things we could do for all those years. Then, it was all over. But that doesn’t mean the message should be over. The music will live on.” And with it, so will John Lennon. - By Allan J. Mayer with Susan Agrest and Jacob Young in New York and bureau reports

Question: What was the middle name of Mark Chapman, John Lennon’s killer?
Answer: DAVID