Mark David Chapman og mordet på John Lennon

Mark David Chapman was born in Fort Worth, Texas on 10th May 1955, the first child of David & Diane Chapman. His father David was a staff sergeant in the Air Force, who left the armed services shortly after his birth to pursue an engineering degree, which took the family to Atlanta, Georgia. A sister, Susan, was born in 1962, when Chapman was seven years old.He was not a popular child growing up, and poor at sports; he developed a rich imagination as a result, to insulate himself against the jibes of his classmates. He claimed that his father was emotionally distant, and abused his mother: consequently he and his sister were terrified of him. Outwardly, though, the family was viewed as a happy one, and Chapman appeared a normal, well-adjusted boy, with a passion for The Beatles, and John Lennon in particular.

Mark David Chapman murdered English musician and activist John Lennon on December 8, 1980 in New York City. Chapman shot Lennon four times in the back outside The Dakota apartment building, in the presence of Lennon's wife Yoko Ono and others. Chapman remained at the scene until arrested by police. However, Chapman was sentenced to a prison term of 20 years.’¨