Man Who Killed John Lennon Denied Parole AND In Strange Twist It Is Disclosed That He Tried To Recover And Sell The Album Lennon Signed
Mark David Chapman, the man who shot and killed John Lennon in December, 1980, has been denied parole again. Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono wrote the parole board and cautioned that Chapman's safety would be at risk if he were released - as fans of her husband may do him harm.
If that is not enough of a twist, here is another. At the current parole hearing, it also became public that Chapman had made a number of inquiries to rock memorabilia dealers trying to sell the record album that Lennon signed for Chapman prior to the shooting. (A photo of Lennon signing Chapman's album appears above)!
When Chapman shot Lennon in New York in 1980, he placed the signed album beside the security booth at the Dakota Apartments where Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono resided. After Chapman was taken into custody, the signed album was found by Philip Michael, from Hamburg, New Jersey. Michael turned it over to police as evidence. After Chapman was convicted of murder, New York police returned the album to Mr. Michael.
He kept the record for 19 years before offering it for sale. Here is where the story gets interesting. It has now been learned that Mark David Chapman tried to use legal measures to get the album back from Michael. At the same time, he made enquiries into what the album might be valued at.
The record sold in 1999 to an anonymous American and in 2004 it went up for sale again priced at £274,000 through a US memorabilia website, touted as 'the most important piece of historic rock memorabilia ever'.
-Chapman tried to sell record Lennon signed before the shooting!
