Mark David Chapman Said He Was an Idiot for Killing John Lennon

In December 1980, Mark David Chapman walked up to former Beatle John Lennon and fatally shot him four times. Hours before Chapman murdered Lennon, the singer autographed his killer's copy of "Double Fantasy," the album he recorded with his wife, Yoko Ono. According to Reuters, this album was sold by a private collector in December 2020, which marked the 40th anniversary of Lennon's death.

Ringo Starr immediately flew to New York City to be by Ono's side, reports Time. George Harrison was reportedly "shattered and stunned," while Paul McCartney hired bodyguards and went into hiding. Lennon was later cremated. His remains were buried in a suburban New York Cemetery. The world mourned the loss of a once-in-a-lifetime talent. In August 1981, Chapman was handed a prison sentence of 20 years to life. Where is he now? Here's what we know.

Chapman is serving out his sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, N.Y. In September 2025, he was denied parole for the 14th time, per The Guardian. The 70-year-old will be up for parole again in February 2027. Transcripts for this hearing were not made public, but Chapman apologized for his actions during his eighth parole hearing in 2014.

Chapman told the state Parole Board that he had grown to understand the pain he caused people after reading letters sent to him in prison. "I am sorry for causing that type of pain," he said at the time. "I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory." The three members of the Parole Board unanimously decided against Chapman's release, stating that it would be "incompatible with the welfare of society" and would "deprecate the serious nature of the crime."

Chapman has explained his motive a few times during various parole hearings since he first became eligible in December 2000. His fifth time before the state Parole Board was in August 2008, where Chapman was asked if he wanted to call attention to anything he said during his initial sentencing in 1981. He said no, adding that, "I felt the Lord had told me to plead guilty at that time, and I did."

When asked why he wanted to kill Lennon, Chapman said that several months prior, he was "going through some problems," felt very confused, and had "dug a big hole" for himself. Chapman said he was feeling like a "big nothing and a nobody." He went on to say that after reading a book about Lennon and staring at photographs of The Beatles in the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album, Chapman started feeling angry.

What enraged Chapman was the juxtaposition between his life in a dingy apartment and Lennon's life in a "ritzy building." The then-25-year-old said it was more about him than Lennon. "I was probably mad at myself for my failures," explained Chapman. He recalled thinking, "Wouldn't it be something if I killed this individual?" Chapman believed the notoriety and fame he would gain from killing Lennon would be the solution to all of his problems.