On August 24, 1981, Mark David Chapman (above) was sentenced
to 20 years to life for the murder of John Lennon, a founding
member of The Beatles, one of the most successful bands in the
history of popular music.    

On December 8, 1980, Chapman shot and killed the 40-year-old
singer, songwriter and peace activist, outside Lennon’s New
York City apartment building, the Dakota, where he lived with
his wife Yoko Ono and their young son Sean.

John Lennon (left) and Chapman minutes before the shooting.