Some forty-three years after the incident took place, John Lennon’s killer is said to have apologized to witnesses after he assassinated the legendary musician.
At the age of 40, the former Beatle was murdered by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman, outside his New York City apartment block on December 8, 1980, and according to a new Apple TV+ documentary, one bystander stated that the assassin apologized for “ruining” their night with his shooting.
In the three-part ‘John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial’ series, one of the witnesses says “He actually apologized to us. He said, ‘Gee I’m sorry I ruined your night,” and the witness responded with “You gotta be kidding me, you just ruined your whole life.”
Due out December 6, Actor Kiefer Sutherland, narrates the documentary for the producers who were granted extensive Freedom of Information Act requests from the New York City Police Department, the Board of Parole and the District Attorney’s office.
Featuring interviews with John’s friends as well as Chapman’s defense lawyers, psychiatrists, detectives and prosecutors, the documentary also features Richard Peterson, a taxi driver who witnessed the shooting and Jay Hastings, a doorman at Lennon’s Dakota apartment building who heard the singer/songwriter’s final words – said to be “I’m shot”, or “I’m hit.”
The show’s title reflects the minimal investigation involved with the murder as Chapman waited at the scene, pleaded guilty as soon as the police arrived, and was sentenced to a twenty years to life term, for second-degree murder.
In 2020, Chapman publicly apologized to John’s wife Yoko Ono, now 90, during a parole hearing by saying: “It was an extremely selfish act. I’m sorry for the pain that I caused to her. I think about it all of the time.”
For the 12th time last year, Chapman was denied parole and will remain behind bars until February 2024 at the earliest, at the same time as Lennon is featured on the newly-released Beatles track ‘Now and Then’.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: New York City Police Department – Public Domain