Free Republic

Last Friday on MSNBC’s “The Abrams Report,” Hoda Kotb made an appearance to plug that evening’s NBC “Dateline” program centering on John Lennon’s murderer, Mark Chapman. Ms. Kotb said that in listening to 100 hours of audiotape she was struck by Chapman’s being “so meticulous. He’s so calm. He’s so measured; all the while he is plotting out one of the most heinous crimes of the century.” Lennon’s killing was tragic, as most killings are, but categorizing it as “one of the most heinous crimes of the century” is a gross overstatement. This is, after all, the century in which...

Mark David Chapman felt like a nobody and wanted to "steal John Lennon's fame" when he shot the former Beatle outside his New York City apartment in 1980, according to a transcript of Chapman's most recent parole hearing, released Thursday. Chapman, 49, told the panel Oct. 5 he'd accomplished his goal of transferring Lennon's fame to himself in one sense, but in other ways, "I'm a bigger nobody than I was before." "Because, you know, people hate me now instead of, you know, for something positive," he said. "So that's a worse state." Chapman was denied parole; it was his...

Lennon fans threaten his killer as release looms Paul Harris in New York Sunday September 26, 2004 The Observer Mark Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon, could be released from jail next month in a move that has sparked fears of retribution from Beatles fans. Chapman will have a parole hearing in the week beginning 4 October, officials at the New York State Parole Division said. It will be held behind closed doors. However, one official said they had 'no idea' what the outcome of the hearing would be. But if Chapman is released after 24 years in prison,...

ALBANY, N.Y. -- John Lennon's killer was denied parole for a second time yesterday on what would have been the slain Beatle's 62nd birthday. Releasing Mark David Chapman after 22 years in prison would "depreciate the seriousness" of the crime, the parole board said in a statement released yesterday. The board said Chapman had "acceptable" behaviour in prison but that didn't guarantee he wouldn't pose a threat to society. State Parole Division spokesman Thomas Grant said the timing of the notice wasn't intentional. At his first parole hearing two years ago, Chapman said he did not deserve to go free....