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Man who shot John Lennon outside New York City apartment complex in 1980 told parole board he knew it was wrong to kill beloved ex-Beatles – but he was seeking fame and had “in his heart” “evil”.
Mark David Chapman made comments to the board, which refused parole for the 12th time, citing his “selfish disregard for human life with global consequences”.
In a transcript released Monday by state officials under a freedom of information request, Chapman said the decision to kill Lennon was “my big answer to everything. I’m no longer a nobody”.
“I don’t blame anyone else or anyone for taking me there,” Chapman told the board.
“I know what I’m doing, I know it’s evil. I know it’s wrong, but I want fame so much that I’d give anything to take a life.”
On the night of December 8, 1980, Chapman and Yoko Ono killed Lennon as they returned to their Upper West Side apartment.
Earlier in the day, Lennon autographed Chapman on Chapman’s recently released album Double Fantasy.
Chapman, 67, told the board: “It’s evil in my heart. I want to be someone and nothing can stop that.”
Chapman is serving a 20-year to life sentence at Greenhaven Correctional Facility in New York’s Hudson Valley.
He has repeatedly expressed remorse at parole hearings over the years.
“I’ve hurt a lot of people all over the place, and if anyone wants to hate me, that’s okay, I get it,” he said at the Aug. 31 hearing.
In denying his release, the board said Chapman’s actions allowed “the world to recover from the void you created”.
Chapman’s next parole board appearance is scheduled for February 2024.
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