The man who murdered the legendary musician John Lennon of The Beatles has spoken out to apologize to the singer’s widow, Yoko Ono.
Mark David Chapman reportedly made these comments during a parole hearing last month, when he was denied parole for the eleventh time since fatally shooting Lennon outside of his home in New York City in December of 1980. In this hearing, Chapman explained that he killed Lennon for “self-glory” and claimed that he thinks about the crime “all the time” to this day.
Chapman, 65, went on to apologize to Lennon’s family.
“I assassinated him… because he was very, very, very famous and that’s the only reason and I was very, very, very, very much seeking self-glory, very selfish,” he said, according to Yahoo News [1]. “I want to add that and emphasise that greatly. It was an extremely selfish act. I’m sorry for the pain that I caused to her (Ono). I think about it all of the time.”
This hearing took place on August 19 at the Wende Correctional Facility in New York, where Chapman has been incarcerated for the past eight years. He first became eligible for parole in 2000 after serving 20 years in prison, yet he has been denied parole at every hearing since then. The board denied his latest request for parole last month, saying that it “would be incompatible with the welfare of society” to release him.
Ono has written to the parole board numerous times urging them not to release Chapman, arguing that he is a threat to society. She has yet to offer any comment on his apology.
GIMME SOME TRUTH. 📢 RT!
This October 9th, to celebrate John Lennon's 80th birthday, join us for an online celebration of John's life to celebrate our community, creativity and connection. Raising the spirit of peace and love – with great artists, great people and great songs. pic.twitter.com/81WEkVfvAg [2]— Yoko Ono (@yokoono) September 21, 2020 [3]
Chapman also told the parole board last month that now that he is an older man, he sees his crime as a “despicable act” and “pretty creepy.” When asked if justice has been served, he replied, “When you knowingly plot someone’s murder and know it’s wrong and you do it for yourself, that’s a death penalty right there in my opinion.”
“If the law and you choose to leave me in here for the rest of my life, I have no complaint whatsoever,” he added.
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision board explained in its decision that it found Chapman’s statement that “infamy brings you glory” to be disturbing.
While the board commended Chapman’s “personal growth and productive use of time,” it said his “selfish actions stole the chance for future fans to experience the words of inspiration that this artist provide for millions of people. Your violent act caused devastation to not only family and former band members, but the world.”
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com [4] and is used by permission.
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