The Tragic Murder Of John Lennon Inspired By A Novel

Musician John Lennon (Instagram @johnlennonofficial)

JAKARTA - Exactly 39 years ago, a 25-year-old man, without hesitation, pointed his gun at the famous British musician, John Lennon. Five shots that spewed hot lead were lodged in the body of Yoko Ono's husband.

The shooter was identified as Mark David Chapman, who had previously been stalking John for days from outside his apartment building in The Dakota, New York, United States. Quoted from Biography, the bloody incident occurred at around 11 pm, on December 8, 1980.

Before committing his crimes, Chapman was known to have met John Lennon to ask for an autograph, in the afternoon. Until in the end, the intention to kill the Beatles guitarist could no longer be stopped.

Chapman, pointed a revolver pistol caliber 38 milli aimed at John Lennon. Five times the sound of gunfire was heard that night. Hot lead injured John Lennon's back, chest and shoulders.

The former Beatles member was immediately rushed to the hospital because he was bleeding badly. But unfortunately, after a few minutes of doctors in the emergency room trying to save the legendary musician, Lennon's life can not be helped.

The wife hysterically accepts the fact that her beloved husband is dead. Not only Ono, the world also mourned the death of John Lennon.

The news of John Lennon's death was immediately broadcast across United States television news. Howard Cosell of ABC, became the first news anchor to deliver the sad news that John Lennon had died.

During the days following the shooting, thousands of John Lennon fans gathered near The Dakota apartment building to express their sorrow. The US public states that Lennon's assassination is recorded as the largest assassination since the assassination of President John F.

In memory of John Lennon, an area was built and named 'Strawberry Fields'. Strawberry Fields was built near The Dakota apartment, where John Lennon lived and was killed.

Strawberry Fields is planted with tall elm trees, shrubs, flowers, and rocks. This area is also designated as a quiet zone in Central Park. In addition there is a mosaic with the inscription 'Imagine', a popular song sung by Lennon.

Imagine is a song that conveys the hope that the world will avoid violence, conflict and war. People also campaigned Strawberry Fields as a 'garden of peace'.

John Lennon's tomb at Strawberry Fields (doc. Jstor-Daily)

Motivated by a novel

In his statement, the executor Mark David Chapman told the reason why he finally shot Lennon. He shot the former Beatles member for wanting to "steal" John Lennon's fame.

He also revealed that he planned the murder for three months and considered assassinating other public figures such as Johnny Carson, Jackie Onassis, Paul McCartney, Elizabeth Taylor, George C. Scott, and Ronald Reagan, public figures that Chapman considered a fake.

Before doing the action, Chapman even had time to buy a novel called 'The Catcher in the Rye' from a bookstore in New York. "This is my statement" in the writing of 'Holden Caulfield', the protagonist of the novel. After buying the novel, Chapman then spent his time around the entrance to The Dakota apartment building, an area also known as the place where Lennon caters to his fans.

After successfully killing John Lennon, Chapman did not immediately run away. He even remained at the scene until the police arrested him. Chapman also confessed the crimes he had committed to the panel of judges and received a sentence of 20 years in prison or the rest of his life.

The Catcher in Rye is said to be a novel that inspired Chapman to kill Lennon. Even Holden Caulfield, Chapman's favorite character, is someone who loves children.

Caulfield also thought the world of adults was bad and sad. His dream, which he shares with his younger sister, Phoebe, is to become a "catcher in the fields" who saves children from falling off "crazy cliffs." Falling off a cliff seems to symbolize falling into the adult world, which is full of falsehood and filth. Because of this, Caulfield tries to escape from the adult world.

Chapman liked Holden Caulfield so much that he wanted to change his name to Holden Caulfield. One day he saw a photo of John Lennon and said "You're fake. I pray that the devil possesses me and gives me the strength to pull the trigger of the gun".

After shooting Lennon, he plans to hold the novel while shouting "I am the current generation Holden Caulfield" but he is surprised that after killing Lennon, he does not turn into Holden Caulfield. Realizing that he had not changed into Caulfield, Chapman's intention finally changed to popularize the novel.

"People will read this novel with the help of an almighty media," he told lawyers, quoted by Ruther Ford.

Mark David Chapman Today

Chapman is currently incarcerated at the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York. He has applied for parole several times, but it was not granted. The last time he applied for parole was in 2018. After more than 30 years, Chapman finally realized that what he had done was wrong. Chapman always thought of Lennon's kind face the last time he asked for an autograph.

"I remember thinking 'Hey, you have the album now. Look, he (Lennon) signed it, hurried home' but at that time I didn't come home right away," Chapman explained during the parole application hearing, quoted by Rolling Stone, Sunday 8 December 2019.

Now Chapman calls the murderer, who is himself, a heartless person, only rots, and feels no personal ill will towards John Lennon. Chapman, aged 25, was so intent on killing Lennon that he chose a hollow point bullet, which had a more lethal effect than ordinary bullets.

"I secured the bullets to make sure he would die. After the incident I also made sure he didn't suffer," Chapman explained, as reported by AP.

Chapman will again apply for parole in August 2020. That means he is applying for parole for the eleventh time.