The Death of John Lennon December 8th, 1980

The Dakota Lennon’s residence in NYC Located at West 72nd Street and Central Park West

Record Plant Studios Located at 321 West 44th Street One of the most important music studios in history Lennon was returning from a session here when he was killed

Double Fantasy Lennon’s last album and first album in over 5 years Chapman had Lennon sign this album prior to killing him

Lennon and Chapman

Why stay at the hotel?  "At that point my big part won and I wanted to go back to my hotel, but I couldn't. I waited until he came back. He knew where the ducks went in winter, and I needed to know this“

Police Artist pic

The World Learns Word of Lennon’s death was first reported by Alan Weiss, an ABC producer who was in the hospital because of a motorcycle accident. He relayed word (via payphone) to Roone Arledge, president of ABC News and its sports division. ABC was currently broadcasting Monday Night Football and a call was placed to the booth where Howard Cosell, a long-time Lennon friend, was notified of the news. Cosell was the first person to broadcast Lennon’s death.

MNF Transcript Cosell: ...but (the game)'s suddenly been placed in total perspective for us; I'll finish this, they're in the hurry-up offense. Gifford: Third down, four. Foreman...it'll be fourth down. Cavanaugh will let it run down for one final attempt, he'll let the seconds tick off to give Miami no opportunity whatsoever. (whistle blows) Timeout is called with three seconds remaining, John Smith is on the line. And I don't care what's on the line, Howard, you have got to say what we know in the booth. Cosell: Yes, we have to say it. Remember this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City. The most famous perhaps, of all of The Beatles, shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that news flash, which, in duty bound, we have to take. Frank? Gifford: (after a pause) Indeed, it is.

Trial and Catcher connections Chapman’s first public statement was a letter sent to the New York Times in February 1981. He urged everyone to read The Catcher in the Rye, calling it an "extraordinary book that holds many answers.“

Trial and Catcher connections Chapman’s only courtroom statements was this quote from CITR. “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all.”

Trial and Catcher connections "I would listen to this music and I would get angry at him, for saying that he didn't believe in God... and that he didn't believe in the Beatles. This was another thing that angered me, even though this record had been done at least 10 years previously. I just wanted to scream out loud, 'Who does he think he is, saying these things about God and heaven and the Beatles?' Saying that he doesn't believe in Jesus and things like that. At that point, my mind was going through a total blackness of anger and rage. So I brought the Lennon book home, into this The Catcher in the Rye milieu where my mindset is Holden Caulfield and anti-phoniness.“

Strawberry Fields Located in Central Park near The Dakota, it is a memorial to John Lennon

Chapman Over the years Chapman has been denied parole 7 times, most recently in August 2012. He is kept in solitary confinement 23 hours a day for fear of retaliation from fellow inmates. If released, the fear is he will be harmed by Lennon fans.