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Mark Chapman charged for murder of John Lennon

A stock photograph of Abbey Road crossing in London, UK, made famous by The Beatles.
Image: Shutterstock.com | Above: A stock photograph of Abbey Road crossing in London, UK, made famous by The Beatles.

Date

At the trial of Mark Chapman for the murder of John Lennon, defence lawyer Jonathan Marks entered a plea of “not guilty by reason of insanity” on this day in 1981.

hapman, who struggled throughout his youth and on into adulthood with mental problems had been an obsessive fan of Lennon’s until the Beatles legend’s famous “more popular than Jesus” claim sparked a sudden reversal in his behaviour...