Two men on intense personal journeys that converged in a single shocking act. I took five steps and fired. Five shots. I literally held john lennons heart in my hand. It was an unthinkable crime that left millions in mourning. The murder of john lennon next. Its a chilly night at around 10 45 p. M. Police respond to a report of a shooting at the dakota. An exclusive Apartment Building on manhattans upper west side. When we drove up to the dakota, theres a man standing in the middle of the street, pointing to the archway saying thats the man doing the shooting. We got out of the car, we approached the archway on each side of it. Looked in and saw a man with his hands up. Five shots had been fired. All but one found their target. So i grab the guy around the neck. The doorman, jose, said hes the one. Hes the only one. He shot john lennon. I was totally shocked. I threw him up against the wall. I said you did what . Former Beatle John Lennon has been shot with four hollow. 38 caliber bullets at close range. Police rush him to Roosevelt Hospital but its too late. Shortly after 11 00 p. M. , the Emergency Room doctor pronounces John Lennon Dead. Former Beatle John Lennon was gunned down as he entered the gate. John lennon, shot and killed in the dakota Apartment Building. It was really shocking. 40 years old, john lennon of the beatles. How could he be dead . How could this have happened . The city was in shock, not just people, my generation that grew up listening to their music in the 60s. I think just about everybody felt on so many levels it was wrong. It was terrible. I mean, i think the way so many people who didnt even know john felt. It hit me so much more because he befriended me and he didnt have to befriend me. In new york, cnn Investigative Reporter has come up with new facts about john lennons accused killer. The killer was identified as Mark David Chapman, a 25yearold fan and drifter from hawaii. Nothing from his background set off or would have caused to set off any alarm bells whatsoever. Chapman apparently was well liked by most people he knew. The most common description was open, friendly, a hard worker with a ready smile. I dont think i have seen anybody get mad at him or say anything bad. I couldnt believe it. Just didnt seem like the type person. Normal, really. I think he was just fine. I couldnt have asked for anything better. Most of those cant believe hes the same person charged with killing john lennon. Everybody that we interviewed, and there were a lot, every one said hes a nice person. Not capable of doing Something Like this. It was a tragic conclusion to an extraordinary life. John lennon, cofounder of the legendary beatles was gone. During the 1960s, the beatles were the biggest rock group in the world. Their influence and popularity were unparalleled. I think the beatles spoke to young people in the 60s in a way that no other band did. They influenced so many people, not just musically but socially, politically, culturally. They were the touch stone for everything going on in the 60s. Among the millions of American Kids who worshiped the beatles was a shy, Reclusive Teenager named Mark David Chapman. He was an especially fervent fan of john lennon. During their heyday, the beatles were open about they are use of psychedelic drugs. Like his idols, chapman begins experimenting. The defendant described there was periods of time in his life when he was more of the hippie nature, tried experimental drugs, as many people during that time did. But in 1971, chapman becomes a born again christian, he quits drugs and rejects rock n roll, the beatles and john lennon in particular. Well, i became a christian when i was 16. And that lasted about a year of genuine walking with him, through my life, off and on, i have struggled with different hinges, as we all do. And at those times, i would turn to the lord. Chapmans new found faith comes into conflict with his feelings about his former idol. According to friends, chapman was notably bothered by lennons song god in which he states i dont believe in jesus. And his hit imagine with lyrics, imagine theres no countries and no religion, too. Chapman wrote his own words imagine John Lennon Dead. The defendant claimed that he was offended by the statement that john lennon had made that the beatles had become more popular than jesus christ. It was an offthecuff comment made during an interview in 1966, but it caused a lasting furor. A number of people in the bible belt young and old took this comment to be oh, youre bigger than jesus, youre bigger than god, this is blasphemy and how dare you say Something Like this. He was totally misquoted what he meant to say was more people paid attention to the beatles than paid attention to jesus. And he was only making an observation about that, not putting any context to it. Or not saying that was a good thing or a bad thing. The beatles weather the storm. But in 1970, the band breaks up and lennon embarks on a solo career with his new wife, yoko ono. A year later, the lennons move to new york city and take up residence at the fabled dakota apartments. The dakotas Gothic Facade had been featured in the film rosemarys baby. It was home to the worlds most famous actors and musicians. I think they viewed america as being a breath of fresh air for them at that time. Little did they know what trouble awaits them. In new york, john and yoko adopted a high profile, politically and musically. It drew the attention and ire of the nixon administration. In the early 70s, the United States government began a campaign against john lennon to silence him. They were really concerned that he would influence young people voting in the 1972 election. And they didnt want that to happen. They were conducting surveillance operations. They were monitoring him. Cars would follow him around. They did the whole intelligence enchilada. After nixon was driven from office by the watergate scandal, the pressure on lennon let up and by 1975, he had withdrawn from the public eye. He was not in hiding. He was not a recluse. What he was doing was devoting full time to raising his son sean. That was his priority. During those days, lennon and ono became familiar figures in their neighborhood. He liked the informality of new york, he like the architecture. He liked the ability to walk. You you hear stories of john lennon walking down the street and people would walk up to him. Like whats it like to walk in manhattan. He loved new york because people didnt bother him. In new york, they respected his privacy and say, hey, john, hows things going, theyd shake his hand and say john, i like your music or something. But they didnt pester him. In november 1980, lennon emerged from retirement with an release of Double Fantasy, an album he recorded with ono. Lennon had just turned 40. To many, it seemed john lennon had entered a promising new phase but this image of a happy contented husband and father would only serve to enrage a young man in hawaii. A oncedevoted fan Mark David Chapman. He was in the house, sitting naked in front of his Stereo Listening to really loud beatles music and invoking satan to help him have the power to kill john lennon. At zales. The Diamond Store well, well, well. Look at you. You mastered the master bath. You created your own style. And you yes, you turned a sourdough starter into a sourdough finisher. So when you learn your chronic dry eye is actually caused by reduced Tear Production due to inflammation you take it on, by talking to your eyecare professional about restasis®. Which may help you make more of your own tears with continued use twice a day, every day. Restasis® helps increase your eyes natural ability to produce tears, which may be reduced by Inflammation Due to chronic dry eye. Restasis® did not increase Tear Production in patients using antiinflammatory eye drops or tear duct plugs. To help avoid eye injury and contamination, do not touch bottle tip to your eye or other surfaces. Wait 15 minutes after use before inserting contact lenses. The most common side effect is a temporary burning sensation. Ask your Eye Care Professional about restasis®. Now to trick out these lights. Visit restasis. Com to learn more. vo when you are shopping for a new vehicle, how do you know which brand you can trust . 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There was nothing that we learned from the extensive interviews and investigation of the defendants background that suggested that was much different than any other 25yearold person. At least on the surface. Chapman grew up in georgia, the older of two children in what seemed like a typical suburban family. The defendant claimed in interviews with psychiatrists that he had a rough childhood and had a less than ideal relationship with his father, but there is nothing of his background of such an extreme or extraordinary nature that would suggest some sort of latent insanity or Mental Disease or defect caused by some childhood trauma. After high school, chapman begins to drift through a series of jobs and halfhearted attempts at college. In 1977, he flies to hawaii where he plans to kill himself, and he reportedly tries twice, but fails. Chapman stays in hawaii. Over the next three years, he is hospitalized at least once, gets married, takes a job in a print shop, then quits. And goes to work as an unarmed Security Guard at a luxury, highrise condo. He is obsessed with jd salingers Catcher In The Rye. Chapman identifies closely with the books Protagonist Halden Caufield who rails against the phonies he encounters. Chapman claims that by the summer of 1980, he was coming unhinged. J. D. Salinger who has been reclusive for years wrote the Catcher In The Rye and read by and admired by millions, and i wonder what he must be thinking if he is watching this. In 1992, larry king interviewed mark Henry Chapman via remote feed from aica prison. Mark, why are you blaming a book . I am blaming myself for crawling inside of the book. I want to say that j. D. Salinger and Catcher In The Rye did not cause me to kill john lennon. In fact, i wrote j. D. Salinger i got his box number from someone, and i apologized to him for this. In october 1980, chapman turns his resentment against phonies towards john lennon when he reads an article about the upcoming release of Double Fantasy. This thing started with the dakota, im angry at seeing him on the dakota. And i say to myself, that phony, that bastard, i got that mad, i took the book home to my wife and i said, look, hes a phony. This is his calendar from December Of 79 to december of 80. It leads you through the manic months before his death. Writer jim gaines spent hundreds of hours between 1984 and 1985 interviewing mark chapman. And you can see it becomes crazier and crazier with crossingsout and things to do. Chapman told gaines, his mind had been like a war zone occupied by opposing forces he described as the big people and the Little People. He had a whole population of Little People living in his head. To whom he gave instructions who had meetings about what his activities should be. I mean, it was extreme. Seething with anger, chapman buys a fiveshot. 38 revolver. The gun was traced by new york authorities to jns enterprises, a gun shop a block away from the Honolulu Police department. A Sales Receipt shows the gun was purchased by mark chapman october 27th of this year. It shows chapman paid 197 in cash for the gun. Just before buying the gun, chapman had quit his job as a Security Guard when he signed out for the last time, he inscribed the name john lennon in the condominiums log book, then crossed it out. Six days later on october 29th, mark chapman flies to new york city. Armed with the gun he bought in hawaii, he stakes out the dakota, waiting for his chance to take revenge on the hero he believes has betrayed him. But john lennon is not the only potential victim, chapman, it seems, has backups. So he brought the gun with him, came to new york. And had planned at that point to kill someone who was a celebrity in order to bring attention to himself. Lennon wasnt his only target. He had a list of substitute targets, if you will. If he couldnt get to lennon, he would have attempted to kill walter cronkite, johnny carson, george c. Scott, Jackie Kennedy onassis or marlon brando. Any of these people were his potential targets after lennon. Lennon was his first choice. Even so, chapmans agenda included a wild scheme to kill scott while the actor was on stage at a broadway show. The defendant said he had front row seats, and his plan was to stand up in the middle of the show, takeis gun, and fire into into the body of george c. Scott. It wasnt a particularly adroit plan because he was told that in new york, you cannot buy bullets for your gun. After two weeks in new york, chapman flies back to hawaii. He reveals to his wife hes obsessed with john lennon and plans to kill him. She convinces chapman to make an appointment with a psychologist but he doesnt keep it. In early december, chapman flies back to new york, stopping over in atlanta to procure five 38 caliber hollow bullets. This is not someone who is wanting to assault somebody or cause injury. This is someone intent upon committing a murder. This foundation with Hydrating Serum is so lightweight it doesnt settle into lines. Age perfect Serum Foundation from loreal paris. Were worth it lisa here, has had many jobs. And all that experience has led her to a job that feels like home. With home instead, you too can become a caregiver to older adults. Apply today. Feeling sluggish or weighed down . It could be a sign that your digestive system isnt working at its best taking metamucil everyday can help. Metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. It also helps lower cholesterol and slows Sugar Absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. So you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. Support your daily digestive health. And try metamucil fiber thins. A great tasting and easy way to start your day. My familys been devastated by covid19. And were not alone. Weve all had to find new ways to keep going. And cue has made that easier. With cue, you get labquality covid19 test results in just 20 minutes. Speed and accuracy. Its just for the nba; its for you too. Cue health. The official covid19 home test of the nba. Go cue. Go you. On the morning of december 6th, 1980, Mark David Chapman the man who would soon kill john lennon arrives in new york city. He goes to the dakota shortly before noon and joins a small group of fans hovering near the entrance. Chapman will spend the next two days waiting for john lennon. Who was Mark David Chapman . On december 8, 1980, Mark David Chapman was a very confused person. He was literally living inside of a paper back novel. Salingers the catcher and the rye. And he was vacillating between suicide and taking a taxi back and forth to hawaii and back and forth between killing an icon. Around 3 00 a. M. On the morning of december 8th, chapman checks back in with his wife in hawaii. Then he takes out the bible from his suitcase and turns to the new testament book of john and writes the name lennon after the words the gospel according to john. Around 8 00 a. M. , he heads back to the dakota. I had some type of premonition this was the last time i would leave my hotel room. I hadnt seen him up to that point, thats what makes it interesting, i wasnt sure he was in the building. And then i left the hotel room, bought a copy of the catcher and the rye and i wrote underneath it signed it and wrote this is my statement. Underlining the word this, emphasis on the word this. I planned not to say anything after the shooting. That morning, chapman meets another fan named paul gorish. Gorish, an amateur photographer, had come to know lennon personally. One of the photos was later used as the cover of lennons when he was there, he was holding a copy of Double Fantasy in his left arm and this guy approached me and he said are you waiting for lennon . I said yeah. He said, do you work for john . I said no. He said, oh, my name is mark. He said, im from hawaii. What struck me strange is when he said that he had a southern accent. So, i said, if youre from hawaii, how come you have a southern accent . And he said, well, originally, im from georgia. And i said, oh. So i then said where are you staying while you are in the city . And with that, he turned to me and said why do you want to know . Sometime before 5 00 p. M. , lennon and ono leave the apartment to go to his last recording session. Chapman and gorish are on the sidewalk out front. Chapman silently hands lennon his copy of Double Fantasy. Guy came on johns left and held out the album and john turned and look theed at him and said do you want me to sign that . He nodded, john took the album. John said do you have a pen . He handed him a pen. John started to sign the album, and i had my camera on my neck, and it looked like a good picture, so i looked through the view finder, and i took the photo. That is the photo of john signing the album for his killer. And he looked at me, and he said, is that all . Do you want Anything Else . And i felt then and now that he knew something subconsciously that he was looking into the eyes of the person that was going to kill him. Once lennon and ono leave for the recording studio, only chapman, gorish and the Dakota Doorman remain. Around 8 00 p. M. , gorish calls it a night. The guy mark came over to me and said, are you leaving . And i said yes. And he says i dont know if i would leave, you might not see him again. What are you talking about . I see him all the time. He says you never know, he might go to spain or something and you never see him again. I wanted him to stay because i wanted out of there. There was a great part of me that didnt want to be there. You would have killed him the next day . Oh, yes, i probably would have come back. After gorish leaves chapman remains in front of the dakota. He waits patiently for some 2 1 2 hours. I was sitting inside of the arch of the dakota building, and it was dark and it was windy. Jose, the doorman, was out along the sidewalk. And i see this limousine pull up. And i said this is it. I stood up, and yoko got out and john was far behind, say 20 feet, and he got out and i nodded to yoko when she walked by me, and john came out, and he looked at me and i think that he recognized that heres the fellow that i signed the album earlier. And he walked past me. I took five steps towards the street, turned, withdrew my charter arms. 38, and fired five shots into his back. It fits y. Why have over two Million People welcomed bath fitter into their homes . It just fits. Call now or visit bathfitter. Com to book your free consultation. I didnt even know if the bullets were going to work. And when they worked, i remember thinking, theyre working, theyre working. Five bullets. The first misses hitting the window of the dakota, and the next two Strike Lennon in the left side of his back, and two more hit his left shoulder, and mortally wounded lennon staggers up five steps to the reception area, and collapses. I stood there with the Gun Hanging Limply down on my right side, and jose the doorman came over, and hes crying. And he is grabbing my arm and shaking my arm, and he shook the gun right out of my hand and he kicked the gun across the pavement and had somebody take it away. And i was just i was stunned. I didnt know what to do. I took the Catcher In The Rye out of my pocket, i paced. I tried to read it, i just couldnt wait until those police got there. I was just devastated. The first police are on the scene within two minutes and take control of chapman. Just after two more officers arrive, and immediately rush to aid lennon. Officers frownberger and palmer carried him out to a radio car to take him to the hospital. Of course, there was no ambulance on the way at that time. And my partner and i took chapman and put him in the radio car to the station house to read him his rights. Dr. Steven lin is on call at Roosevelt Hospital. Two Police Officers came rushing through the front door of the Emergency Department and literally carrying over their shoulders a limp body and they said, dr. Lynn, we cant get any vital signs. Also in the Emergency Room, alan weiss, a young News Producer for abc in new york who had been in a motorcycle accident. Gunshot in the chest. I am almost positive. Its hitting the door now was the answer. At that moment, a stretcher was wheeled in. We rushed into the trauma room. There was no pulse. There was no blood pressure. We had an unresponsive patient. They brought him in literally to their room that i am lying outside of. The doctor ran in, other medical people ran in, they pulled the curtain. We didnt know what a patient was at that point in time. It wasnt until the nurses took his wallet out of his pocket in the process of identifying and somebody said this is john lennon. One Police Officer stood next to another Police Officer and whispered its john lennon. We looked at the body in front of us and all of us said this cant possibly be john lennon but, in fact, it was. So i hear sobbing behind me and i look behind me and i can see this woman is being brought in by a Police Officer. I asked the Police Officer who is that . And he said it was yoko ono. The only option, the only way that we could give him any possibility of surviving was to make an incision in his chest and to see if there was some way to stop the bleeding. And the most vivid memory that i have is johns chest is being is just open. And its just blood. Literally, saw the doctors hands inside his chest. We open the chest. We found a chest full of blood. All of the Blood Vessels leaving the heart were completely destroyed. We pumped fluid into the heart. I literally held john lennons heart in my hand. We massaged the heart. We tried to restore flow. But there was absolutely nothing that we could do. We pronounced John Lennon Dead on arrival at the time Roosevelt Hospital that evening. Silence fell over the Emergency Department. Staff began to cry. We didnt quite know how to respond or how to react. And it became my job to walk down to the end of the hall to talk to yoko ono. I walked into the room, i think she knew as soon as i entered the door what i was going to say. There is music playing and it must have been about ten after 11 00. The song All My Loving starts to play. The song ends. A minute, two minutes later, there is a scream. A shrill womans voice screaming, no, no, no, oh, no. It went on for about a minute, minute and a half. It was it was constantly repeated. Silence. And final ly the head nurse brought in her husbands ring and gave it to her and she understood the finality of the about that occurred. And the first thing she said to me was please delay making the announcement. My son sean is probably at home sitting in front of the tv. I dont want him to find out about his fathers death while watching a tv program. I dont think it really hit me until i heard the song All My Loving. I called wabc, the newsroom. Told them what i knew, that john lennon had been shot. As i understand it. They passed it on to abc network and abc network, um, made the decision to pass it on to howard and Frank Gifford and howard cosel made the broke news doing monday night football. By 11 35 p. M. , the word was out. Almost immediately, mourners began gathering outside the dakota for a candlelight vigil. They sang Beatles Songs and chanted give peace a chance. I just felt like, you know, incredible weight was just pressing down on me. It was just extraordinarily, extraordinarily sad. It impacted all of us so severely. It was as if a friend or a Family Member had passed away. I think that one of the reasons that we felt that way about him is because we had embraced him as our own. On december 10th, John Hennen W Lennon was cremated in a private ceremony. Four days later, on december 14th, millions of people Around The World responded to yoko onos request to pause for ten minutes of silence to remember john lennon. Over 225,000 people converged on new yorks central park. For those ten minutes, every Radio Station in new york city went off the air. Pepto bismol coats and soothes your stomach for fast relief and get the same fast relief in a Delightful Chew with pepto bismol chews. Well, well, well. Look at you. You mastered the master bath. You created your own style. And you yes, you turned a sourdough starter into a sourdough finisher. So when you Learyour Chronic Dry Eye is actually caused by reduced Tear Production due to inflammation you take it on, by talking to your eyecare professional about restasis®. Which may help you make more of your own tears with continued use twice a day, every day. Restasis® helps increase your eyes natural ability to produce tears, which may be reduced by Inflammation Due to chronic dry eye. Restasis® did not increase Tear Production in patients using antiinflammatory eye drops or tear duct plugs. To help avoid eye injury and contamination, do not touch bottle tip to your eye or other surfaces. Wait 15 minutes after use before inserting contact lenses. The most common side effect is a temporary burning sensation. Ask your Eye Care Professional about restasis®. Now to trick out these lights. Visit restasis. Com to learn more. My foundation doesnt settle. And neither do i. Age perfect Serum Foundation from loreal paris. This foundation with Hydrating Serum is so lightweight it doesnt settle into lines. Age perfect Serum Foundation from loreal paris. Were worth it delivery man thats for you. mail recipient 1 these are opened. mail recipient 2 and it came like this . delivery man i dont know theyre all open. This ones open too. Privacy is important to you . mail recipient 4 yeah. Privacy is really important to me. mail recipient 5 it is to everybody mail recipient 6 privacy is everything mail recipient 7 whose been reading our mail . delivery man i dont know whose been reading it, i just deliver it. mail recipient 5 this is my family here mail recipient 8 this is a picture of me and my wife. mail recipient 4 this has all my information on it delivery man i know. I saw them. mail recipient 1 do you wanna pay a bill since you went through them . On the morning of december 9th, mark chapman the man who killed john lennon was put in a bulletproof vest and taken by van to the new york city criminal courts building. While chapman was awaiting arraignment, police were searching his hotel room looking foclues that might reveal his motive. In the hotel room, we found part of a display of all his stuff and we had a bible, a passport, photos, and a tape by todd rundgren, airline tickets, a Letter Of Introduction from the young mens christian association, place mat with picture of The Wizard Of Oz and receipt from the ymca there that he stayepreviously to the sheraton. The stuff was laying there, and laid out in such a way that he had intended for somebody to find it. Exactly the way it was laid out. How do you feel about taking this case . I feel good about it. Jonathan marks, a former u. S. Assistant attorney, is appointed to defend chapman. Jonathan marks is asked about whether or not he might ask for A Change Of Venue for the trial, and his response was certainly not at this point, and he said even if we held the trial in paris, people would know about it. The fact that a lot of people are angry with mr. Chapman and the fact that youre going to represent him, how do you feel about that . I am simply a lawyer representing a client. This is not a whodunit. There were witnesses who saw him do the shooting and he made no effort to flee the scene. It was clear from the initial investigation that the defendant was going to lodge an insanity defense. And the first order of business was to have Chapman Mental State evaluated. The only issue will be whether or not he was ip sane at the time of the shooting. This is the front entrance of the Bellevue Hospital where the killer of John Lennon Mark chapman is being held by Extraordinary Security precautions by the department of corrections. And asked if i would help on the chapman case. I agreed. Forensic psychiatrist dr. Daniel schwartz interviewed Mark David Chapman on eight separate occasions for the defense. Clearly, mr. Chapman knew what he was doing, he used a gun in an all too accurate way. He knew it was a gun. He knew it could kill. And he pointed it at the intended victim, and unfortunately, it worked. The serious question in this case is whether or not his Mental Illness impaired his ability to appreciate that what he was doing was wrong. Simply being meant hi ill does not acquit somebody, its only if this Mental Illness impairs his ability to know and appreciate the nature and the consequence of his conduct, or that its wrong. Dr. Schwartz believes that chapmans Mental Illness began in childhood. Mr. Chapman became seriously withdrawn at about the age of 9 or 10. It was about that age that he began imagining a whole world of people, Little People. In the living room. In the walls of his living room, and he was their emperor, their commander. And it was my clinical assessment that he was both a paranoid schizophrenic as we understood the definition in those days, and suffering from bipolar disorder. I truly believe that when he went after john lennon, he was suicidal. John lennon was himself, had become himself. He believed that if he would kill himself, he would be reborn, in killing lennon, he was killing himself. Mark David Chapman at that point was a Walking Shell who didnt ever learn how to let out his feelings of anger, of rage, or disappointment. Mark David Chapman was a failure in his own mind. He wanted to become somebody important, larry. He didnt know how to handle being a nobody. Mark David Chapman struck out at something he perceived to be phony, something he was angry at, to become something he wasnt, to become somebody. Former assistant District Attorney kim hogrefe did not buy it for a minute. Left the courthouse with no comment. If he was obsessed with anything, it was bringing attention to himself. He was narcissistic, he was grandiose, he wanted to bring attention to himself. The fact that john lennon was the victim here is simply because john lennon was publicly available, and others were not. He was not crazed. He was not obsessed and he was not entitled to the insanity defense, and we felt that he was criminally responsible, and he did not have a Mental Disease or defect, and that whatever his mental state was, it did not prevent him from knowing the nature of his conduct and that it was wrong. With the evidence at hand, a Grand Jury Indictment is expected. On june 22nd, 1981, just six months after the murder and the day his trial is set to begin, chapman changes his plea to guilty, against the advice of his defense team. When the defendant entered the guilty plea, i was disappointed by that fact, i was looking forward to the opportunity to prove the facts that we had assembled in a public trial. Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life, and sent to the New York State penitentiary at attica. In his interview with larry king, chapman claimed to have recovered from the Mental Illness that had led to his crime. It was me, larry. And i accept full responsibility for what i did. I have seen places where i am blaming the devil, and i hope that isnt kept going after this interview. Im not blaming the devil. Im blaming myself, but in a major sense, it wasnt me because im better now. Im sorry for what i did. I realize now that i really ended a mans life. I just saw him as a twodimensional celebrity with no real feelings. He was an album cover to me. Omp. Nervive contains Alpha Lipoic Acid to relieve occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. Try nervivenerve relief. Imagine getting 150,000 dollars. For one year of epic adventures. In a new dodge hellcat. And you dont even have to quit your day job. Dodge has created the sweetest gig ever aka Chief Donut Maker. 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In the early 1990s, journalist and author jack jones interviewed chapman at length for his book let me take you down inside the mind of Mark David Chapman. Mark is an unusual individual. Hes a sociopath, but he is much more intelligent than i think most of these people. I think his mind is capable of almost infinite selfdeception. I believe unlike a lot of people he tries very hard to empathize with other people, he tries to sense that other people have pain also. But its mostly intellectual knowledge, he doesnt really feel it. He wanted to hurt the world. Chapman told me he fantasized in getting hold of a nuclear bomb and maybe blow up a small city, injuring or killing thousands if not millions of people. Chapman shot john lennon because he wanted his moment of glory in the sun. Thats it. Thats the conclusion that we came to. I stand by it to this day. Were back with jack jones, how do you react to those who say we shouldnt interview the Mark David Chapmans . There shouldnt be Television Shows or books, that we focus attention on the wrong area . Probably these are the same kind of people who say we shouldnt be writing about or studying aids because its a very unpleasant, deadly topic. We have an opportunity, particularly with a guy like mark chapman, who has agreed to open himself up for exploration and study in hopes of preventing other Mark David Chapmans from coming along. People who criticize journalists for exploring people like that i think miss the point. It gives him publicity for this horrendous act he committed. The killers become as famous as the people they killed. And its really unfortunate. As with almost any famous tragic event, Conspiracy Theories have sprouted up regarding the shooting. Of john lennon. The prevailing scenario has Mark David Chapman as a patsy, programmed by mysterious government operatives to kill lennon. There was absolutely no evidence suggesting he was assisted or aided by another person. He was simply someone who acted alone without assistance of other people. Ive been through every fbi document in johns file. There is not one shred of evidence to suggest that the u. S. Government had the least interest in john after 1972. What do you make of all the Conspiracy Theories that have come up in the last 12 years . Cia, mind control, et cetera . Against john lennon . Yeah. Hog wash. No one asked you to do it. No one prompted you to do it, no cabal, nothing . No, they probably wish they would have had me, larry, but they didnt. This was me doing it. More than 30 years after killing john lennon, mark chapman remains in prison. He first became eligible for parole in the year 2000. He has been denied at least seven times since then. I think its best for mark chapman to stay in Psychiatric Care as he is. He committed a heinous act. Whether or not hes been treated or cured, i cant tell you. I dont know. He did something that was horribly wrong. He changed the track and the life of the world, in my opinion. I think he needs to stay where he is. This guy murdered him. He shot him in the back which is what people dont realize, he shot him in the back. Hes a coward. I dont think the killer of john lennon should ever been paroled. The damage that he wreaked on a wife, two sons, beatles fans Around The World. I cant imagine theres anything he could do or say that would warrant parole. John lennons widow yoko ono has repeatedly opposed chapmans release from prison. My husband john lennon was a very special man. A man of humble origin. He both liked and helped the whole world with his words and music. He tried to be a good power for the world, and he was. He gave encouragement, inspiration, and dreams to people, regardless of their race, creed, and gender. For me, he was the other half of the sky. We were in love with each other at the most deepest of love at the last moment. For our son sean, he was the world. That world shattered when the subject pulled the trigger. For julian, it was losing his father twice. For the people of the world, it was as though the light went out for a moment and darkness prevailed. With this one act of violence, in those few seconds, the subject managed to change my whole life, devastate his sons, and bring deep sorrow and tears to the world. In 1985, new york city dedicated an area of central park, directly across from the dakota, as strawberry fields, for one of lennons most famous songs. Countries from Around The World donated trees. And the imagine mosaic centerpiece was a gift from the city of naples. Tangible proof that the legacy of john lennon transcends borders and generations. I was walking down the street the other day, and i saw a kid probably no older than 16 or 17 wearing a tshirt with john lennons face on it. And i thought, this is really interesting. Here it is, he died more than 30 years ago. And for this young person, he still had resonance. The best way to remember john lennon is to be inspired by his optimism, his integrity, his clarity, and his love for his family. He was the real deal. Live from cnn World Headquarters in atlanta, welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, canada, and Around The World. Im kim brunhuber. This is cnn newsroom. Signs that russia is building up its forces near ukraines border as one european leader prepares to push for a diplomatic solution. Live in kyiv with the latest. Plus now two years into the pandemic, one group is being overlooked when it comes to treatment. Look at efforts to battle longhaul covid. And the queen of england