What really happened on December 8, 1980?
Beatles legend John Lennon was shot dead at the age of 40. The man blamed for the crime is still in prison. Now a new documentary from Great Britain reveals: The murder may have happened very differently!
Is Mark Chapman (67) innocently in jail?
The British author and television producer David Whelan (56) researched the Lennon case for three years. Among other things, he spoke to the doctor and two nurses who had treated the superstar after the horror act. Whelan also found that the coroner who performed the autopsy on Lennon was later investigated for misleading the cause of death.
John Lennon was a superstar of his time – he became a cult with the Beatles (“Yellow Submarine”)
The murder of John Lennon – the official version
On the night of the crime (December 8, 1980), superstar John Lennon wanted to go home with his wife Yoko Ono (90 today). They lived in New York’s “Dakota Building” overlooking Central Park. Without noticing anything, they walked past Chapman towards the entrance.
The prosecutor’s version accepted by the court at the time: The deranged loner Chapman ambushed Lennon. It was dark. Chapman stood about twenty feet from Lennon and fired five times. Four of the bullets hit his victim in the back.
After the fact, Chapman was arrested on the spot without resistance.
This is where the murder happened: the Dokata Building
Mark Chapman kept a death list
The perpetrator was allegedly found later Death List: It proves Mark Chapman’s mental health. In addition to the former Beatle, he also wanted to kill acting legend Marlon Brando († 80) and former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis († 64), as it says on the list.
Chapman said under interrogation that he felt compelled to shoot Lennon. He couldn’t explain why. Also, he couldn’t remember aiming and shooting.
Mark Chapman couldn’t remember anything after the crime except a voice in his head
All he could remember was a voice in his head saying, “Do it, do it.” New York police officer Arthur O’Connor stated that Chapman appeared “programmed” the night he shot Lennon.
It never came to trial. And so much of the evidence could not be tested. Against the advice of his attorneys, Chapman pleaded guilty in 1981. His lawyers sought a plea of insanity.
Chapman’s admission of guilt allegedly came out of the blue, which raised further questions. Chapman claimed that “a little voice in his head” ordered him to admit guilt.
One day after the murder: The New York police take Chapman away
Chapman was jailed for 20 years, but he is still not free. Today he is 67 years old. Twelve hearings on releases have already been rejected. The next attempt will follow in February next year.
Lennon’s doctor and nurses
The assassination attempt on Lennon on December 8, 1980 could have been very different. Lennon was officially hit from behind.
Yoko Ono at a memorial service in honor of her late husband in 2005
But the doctor Dr. David Halleran and nurses Barbara Kammerer and Dea Sato, who treated Lennon after the assassination, now speak of entry holes in the chest!
In addition, the bullets are said to have struck close together – which speaks for murder at close range. One to two meters it says in the documentary.
Three bullets went straight through his body and exited his back shoulder. One shot lodged in the left chest or lower shoulder.
The murder weapon: a .38 caliber handgun
► Strange: According to the police report, Chapman is said to have used so-called hollow point bullets. These do not usually go through a victim.
On impact, they spread out to deal maximum damage to those hit. Still, three of the bullets went through Lennon, according to the doctor and nurse.
The bullets left holes in the glass panes of a front room door of the Dakota Building, which one had to go through to get to the stairs that ultimately led into the house.
The night of the crime: The police blocked the entrance to the Dakota Building
If Lennon had already been on the stairs, he should have passed that door long ago. Which means if Chapman is the killer, he must have shot through the glass first.
The holes in the glass pane were deep and don’t really tally with a man’s height — unless Chapman was kneeling when he fired the shots.
Numerous Beatle fans claim that Lennon’s love for Yoko Ono was the end of the band
Chapman still insists that he hit John Lennon four times in the back out of five attempts.
But photos prove it: There were only two bullet holes in the glass pane of the door…
The door led to the anteroom, which can be reached by the stairs – two bullet holes can be found in the glass
According to eyewitnesses, this is how the Lennon murder happened
According to eyewitnesses, Chapman was standing in the large archway at the entrance to the Dakota Building, a few yards from the steps leading into the house.
This means that if Lennon walked up the steps, Chapman could not have shot Lennon at all, since the musician was out of the assassin’s field of view.
Mass hysteria on the day of the murder: people gather in front of the Dakota Building
The documentary maker was able to obtain the original notebook from investigating Detective Hoffman and other documents related to the case.
Whelan points out that not a single eyewitness, including Yoko Ono, saw Lennon with his own eyes by Chapman was shot.
Yoko Ono’s statements about her exact whereabouts at the time of the shots are partially contradictory. She had to testify several times. Given their emotional turmoil, however, the contradictions seem understandable.
Lennon autopsy at controversial coroner
Coroner Elliot Gross examined Lennon’s body. His report was never released to the public.
Breaking: Gross was considered controversial at the time. He had a reputation for being messy. He was later investigated on suspicion of misconduct, misleading about the causes of death and covering up evidence of police brutality.
In 1987, the coroner was eventually fired but later acquitted of 11 charges of negligence, misconduct and incompetence.
Who Killed Lennon?
If Chapman didn’t kill the Beatles star, who did? A possible answer: the CIA!
Chapman is said to have been examined by a Secret Service hypnosis expert shortly before he pleaded guilty. So it never came to trial. And any evidence was never tested…
Was Chapman manipulated before his guilty plea? We’re talking about one second killer …
