Mark David Chapman Biography

Assassin / Convict

Mark David Chapman shot and killed musician John Lennon December 8, 1980, outside the Dakota Apartments in New York City. Chapman was a former security guard from Hawaii who came to New York specifically to attack the famous ex-Beatle. 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. Chapman became eligible for parole in 2000, but has been denied parole in multiple hearings since then, most recently in August of 2008.

Extra credit: When he killed Lennon, Chapman was carrying a copy of the J.D. Salinger book The Catcher In the Rye.

Related figures include John Hinckley, Jr., Arthur Bremer, Jack Ruby and Valerie Solanas.