John Lennon's Killer: 'Sorry for Being Such an Idiot'

Transcript of Mark David Chapman's parole plea is released
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2014 3:19 PM CDT
John Lennon's Killer: 'Sorry for Being Such an Idiot'
A 2012 photo of Mark David Chapman at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, N.Y.   (AP Photo/New York State Department of Corrections, File)

The man who killed John Lennon got turned down for parole yet again earlier this month, but at least Mark David Chapman seems to realize that he acted like "an idiot" on that December day in 1980, reports the Journal News. A newly released transcript of his parole hearing quotes Chapman thusly:

  • "At that time, I wasn't thinking about anybody else, just me. But now, you know, obviously through people's letters and through things I hear a lot of people were affected here. I am sorry for causing that type of pain. I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory."

At another point, the 59-year-old can't seem to resist boasting about how he planned and carried out the killing outside the Dakota building in Manhattan, reports the Daily News. "Incredible planning, absolutely, incredible stalking," he told the parole panel. "This wasn't a, you know, naive crime. It was a serious, well-thought-out crime. ... No question about it." Chapman is eligible to make his case again in two years. Read the full transcript here. (More Mark David Chapman stories.)

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