John Lennon’s killer says he was seeking ‘glory,’ apologizes during parole hearing

ALBANY, N.Y. — John Lennon’s killer said he was seeking “glory” when he shot the Beatles star in cold blood 40 years ago but now thinks he deserved the death penalty for his “despicable act,” according to a transcript of his most recent parole hearing obtained by the Daily News.

Mark David Chapman, who shot Lennon four times outside of his Upper West Side apartment building on Dec. 8, 1980, was denied parole for the 11th time last month.

During his appearance before the State Parole Board, Chapman expressed remorse for his actions that night, saying he killed the famed songwriter because he was “angry and jealous.”

“I just want to reiterate that I’m sorry for my crime,” he said. “I have no excuse. This was for self-glory. I think it’s the worst crime that there could be to do something to someone that’s innocent.” Chapman also apologized to his victim’s widow, artist Yoko Ono, as he attempted to explain his reasoning for assassinating Lennon.

“I just want her to know that she knows her husband like no one else and knows the kind of man he was. I didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t kill him because of his character or the kind of man he was. He was a family man. He was an icon. He was someone that spoke of things that now we can speak of and it’s great.”

Ono has repeatedly asked that her husband’s murderer remain behind bars. The members of the board agreed, telling Chapman in their decision that they were not swayed by his attempt at atonement and found his meditations on glory troubling. “This panel finds your statement disturbing. Your actions represented an evil act,” they wrote. “The fact that today, almost 40 years later, you can still speak of what you did as something that you felt was a positive and in your mind gave you ‘glory’ at the time, is disturbing for this panel.”

Chapman, who is serving out his sentence in a protective unit at the upstate Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo, also gave the board a look at his daily life in jail and how the coronavirus pandemic has affected his duties as a porter. “I have to wear a mask, hand sanitizer. We have to use this very strong bleach and things have changed a lot,” he said.