# Lennon Killer Chapman Denied Parole Again **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776 "2008-08-12T21:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/1 "2008-08-12T21:04:45Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20080812/en\_celeb\_eo/23384](http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20080812/en_celeb_eo/23384) My question is, if he killed John Doe instead of John Lennon, would he have made parole? And should it make a difference? ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/2 "2008-08-12T21:12:41Z")
[QUOTE=jtgain] [http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20080812/en\_celeb\_eo/23384](http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20080812/en_celeb_eo/23384) My question is, if he killed John Doe instead of John Lennon, would he have made parole? And should it make a difference? [/QUOTE] I don’t think MDC would have made elaborate, lying-in-wait plans just to kill a John Doe. He went way out of his way, flying cross-country IIRC, to do this premeditated act. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/3 "2008-08-12T21:13:51Z")
I don’t know if it should, but it makes a difference to me. Let him rot. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/4 "2008-08-12T21:20:26Z")
I don’t know. X made some pretty good music, but Doe was nowhere near Lennon’s stature. The fact is, you can’t really separate Lennon’s fame from the crime, because it was the entire _reason_ for the crime in the first place. So while he may not have been denied parole for killing a “nobody”, he (and his lawyers) certainly should have expected it would be tougher given the public consciousness of his target. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/5 "2008-08-12T21:25:12Z")
As a huge John Lennon fan, I would hope he never gets out of prison. But I bet John Lennon might have thought differently and shown more forgiveness than I. However, if they did release him, he would have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life - as I would guess there are quite a few people that might not want to see him walking the streets again. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/6 "2008-08-12T21:31:53Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] However, if they did release him, he would have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life - as I would guess there are quite a few people that might not want to see him walking the streets again. [/QUOTE] No cite, but I remember reading that there is a huge contigent of John Lennon fans that share this line of thinking and it’s why MDC is continually denied parole. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/7 "2008-08-12T22:11:21Z")
Let him out. Although he might be hounded to death by Lennon fans. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/8 "2008-08-13T04:44:15Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] hounded to death [/QUOTE] Or pounded. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/9 "2008-08-13T05:53:58Z")
It’s unfortunate that there are people who feel as if they have to harm Chapman, or wish for others to do violence to him. Are they truly John Lennon fans? I for one, do not wish to see him draw a breath of free air ever again. But I would rather see him live a long life and die from natural causes than be beaten to death by a mob. Whether it’s for his own safety or for the public safety, I am happy to see him denied parole. He committed a heinous act of stalking and deliberate murder and I feel his conviction and sentence were just. Yet, for people to take “justice” into their own hands diminishes us all, and is not true to John’s spirit. Justice was done through the New York courts in giving him a life sentence and forever denying him parole. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/10 "2008-08-13T12:22:23Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] As a huge John Lennon fan, I would hope he never gets out of prison. But I bet John Lennon might have thought differently and shown more forgiveness than I.(snip) [/QUOTE] Man, what rotton luck for Chapman. One guy in the world who would have forgiven him and he happens to be dead. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/11 "2008-08-13T12:50:50Z")
I guess you can look at it as John Doe vs. John Lennon, and that’s one thing, but I think that the fact that it was John Lennon made it, as \*\*woodstockbirdybird \*\* said , a part of the public consciousness; an assassination. That adds some weight due to the impact. I don’t mean his life itself is worth more than John Doe’s, but that the public effect was much greater in Chapman’s case. But I do realize that legally, they should at least attempt to use some precedent as far as expected and customary parole request outcomes. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/12 "2008-08-13T13:30:22Z")
I’m curious about what the OP’s question is, in part because I’m wondering if this is a Cafe thing or a GD thing: **jtgain** , are you wondering what would have happened if he’d killed “John Doe,” or are you talking about what should happen to your ‘average’ murderer? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/13 "2008-08-13T14:44:46Z")
[QUOTE=Bill Door] One guy in the world who would have forgiven him and he happens to be dead. [/QUOTE] And the Jesus comparisons continue… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/14 "2008-08-13T14:47:34Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] And the Jesus comparisons continue… [/QUOTE] Please…Lennon was WAY more popular than Jesus… ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/15 "2008-08-13T14:55:49Z")
[singing]Alllll we are sayyyyinnng … is kick Chapman’s asssss![/singing] He did not just kill someone in the heat of the moment or as an unintended consequence of other criminal acts, as was mentioned before this was a premeditated and hughly complex assassination of a very public figure. Would you care that he got denied parole if he was the killer of John Doe rather than John Lennon? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/16 "2008-08-13T16:51:36Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] I’m curious about what the OP’s question is, in part because I’m wondering if this is a Cafe thing or a GD thing: **jtgain** , are you wondering what would have happened if he’d killed “John Doe,” or are you talking about what should happen to your ‘average’ murderer? [/QUOTE] Not to speak for the OP, but it seemed like they were asking about your average murderer - I threw in the “John Doe of the band X” thing to be a smart-ass. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/17 "2008-08-13T19:15:13Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] Not to speak for the OP, but it seemed like they were asking about your average murderer - I threw in the “John Doe of the band X” thing to be a smart-ass. [/QUOTE] I knew he wasn’t talking about the musician John Doe. I’m trying to find out a little more about the what-if the OP is asking. For example, is he asking sort of a legal question about ‘are murderers like this guy usually paroled?’ Or is he opening a debate about whether or not the guy should be paroled because similar offenders would be? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/18 "2008-08-13T19:46:26Z")
Ah, got it. Didn’t want my little joke to cause any confusion, is all. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/19 "2008-08-13T23:05:45Z")
[QUOTE=Death of Rats] [singing]Alllll we are sayyyyinnng … is kick Chapman’s asssss![/singing] [/QUOTE] 😃😃 > [@](#): > > He did not just kill someone in the heat of the moment or as an unintended consequence of other criminal acts, as was mentioned before this was a premeditated and hughly complex assassination of a very public figure. > > Would you care that he got denied parole if he was the killer of John Doe rather than John Lennon? Or, if it was a premeditated and hugely complex assassination of his wife, how long would he have served? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2008, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776/20 "2008-08-14T12:12:36Z")
Timothy McVeigh didn’t kill anybody famous. If he hadn’t received the death penalty, should he have been paroled. Premediated murder should mean life in prison without parole or death. Period. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lennon-killer-chapman-denied-parole-again/459776.md?page=2)