On This Stage- 1981 Mark David Chapman Sentenced To 20 Years To Life In Prison

Do you remember the cold winter night of December 8th 1981? It was the day that John Lennon was shot in cold blood and murdered by Mark David Chapman. He just got denied parole ironically the day before his 31st anniversary of being sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the murder.On Monday December 8, Chapman bought a copy of "The Catcher in the Rye" from a New York book store. This is what he used in court as his statement for killing Lennon.  He signed it "Holden Caulfield", the name of the protagonist of the novel.

That night around 10:49 pm, Chapman walked toward the archway entrance of the Dakota courtyard where John was returning too. Chapman fired five hollow point bullets from a .38 special revolver, four of which hit Lennon in the back and left shoulder. His official cause of death was "Multiple gunshot wounds of left shoulder and chest; Left lung and left subclavian artery; External and internal hemorrhage. Shock."

On August 24th, The judge sentenced Chapman to 20 years to life. Currently he is serving out his term in a New York prison.

[via Wikipedia]