John Lennon (†)
New documentary reveals details about his death
Yoko Ono and John Lennon (†)
© dpa / Picture Alliance
John Lennon was shot 43 years ago. A new documentary provides insight into the legendary musician’s violent death.
He shaped the music world like no other: John Lennon, †40, was probably one of the most famous singer-songwriters. He became known with the “Beatles” and then had a successful solo career. But the artist and peace activist’s life ended abruptly when he was shot in front of his New York apartment on December 8, 1980. A new documentary series provides insight into the murder of the legendary musician, who left behind his wife Yoko Ono, 90, and two sons Julian, 60, and Sean, 48.
New documentation about the details of the crime
The three-part series “John Lennon – Murder Without a Trial”, originally narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, 56, has been available on Apple TV+ since Wednesday, December 6, 2023 – just in time for the 43rd anniversary of the singer’s death. It recapitulates the tragic events of the fateful day, but also contains new statements and interviews from eyewitnesses to the crime.
John Lennon’s death occurred ‘within a short period of time’
According to the Associated Press, on December 8, 1980, at 10:50 p.m. on the evening of December 8, 1980, Lennon was shot four times in front of his apartment in the Dakota Building in New York City by Mark David Chapman, 68, who had gotten his autograph just a few hours earlier shot with a .38 caliber pistol. Less than ten minutes later, Lennon was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. According to the Washington Post, coroner Elliot Gross attributed the death to “massive bleeding and shock.” According to the autopsy report, two bullets hit Lennon’s left lung before exiting his chest. One bullet entered his shoulder , struck his left arm bone, while the other pierced his left lung before becoming lodged in his throat. “Death occurred within a very short period of time,” Gross noted.
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Taxi driver remembers the murderer
In the documentary, the taxi driver who is said to have driven Chapman to the crime scene speaks out for the first time. Mark Snyder recalls explicit details of the momentous evening when he happened to drive John Lennon’s murderer to the Dakota Building in his taxi. “The first thing he said to me was, ‘I’m a producer for the Rolling Stones.’ “I just got back from a recording session with the ‘Beatles. They’ve all gotten back together,'” were Chapman’s confused words in the vehicle. Chapman had a duffel bag with him and was furiously leafing through the pages of a notebook in the back seat. ““I looked in the rearview mirror and there were just blank pages in his book,” Snyder said. When Chapman finally came to the driver’s side window to pay, he said, “My name is Mark David Chapman. You’ll remember my name.”
According to the description, Apple TV+’s new documentary is said to be the “most thorough investigation yet” into the John Lennon murder case. Not only eyewitnesses to the crime and the musician’s companions had their say, but new photos of the crime scene were also shown and discussions were held with the public prosecutor’s office, the investigative team, psychologists and the defense.
Sources used: people.com, apimagesblog.com, washingtonpost.com, billboard.com, rollingstone.de