Mark David Chapman Biography

Mark David Chapman shot and killed musician John Lennon December 8, 1980, outside the Dakota Apartments in New York City. Mark David Chapman was a former security guard from Hawaii who came to New York specifically to attack the famous ex-Beatle. He waited outside the Dakota, then shot Lennon as he was returning with his wife, Yoko Ono, from a late-night recording session. Though Chapman's lawyer initially entered a plea of insanity, Chapman later changed the plea to guilty. He was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, a sentence which he is serving in New York's Attica prison. Mark David Chapman became eligible for parole in 2000, but has been denied parole in hearings every two years since then, most recently in August of 2010.