petition to deny mark chapmans release (john lennons murderer)

[withnailandi]

http://www.hitheads.com/hitheads-story.asp?ID=590
*story*

Mark Chapman due for parole.
Story: Mark Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon, could be released from jail next month in a move that has sparked fears of retribution from Beatles fans.

Chapman will have a parole hearing in the week beginning 4 October, officials at the New York State Parole Division said. It will be held behind closed doors. However, one official said they had 'no idea' what the outcome of the hearing would be.

But if Chapman is released after 24 years in prison, some Lennon fans have already threatened to take action. News of the parole hearing has spread on the internet and dozens of websites have been filling up with messages from fans around the world, many already promising to take revenge on the man who gunned down Lennon on 8 December 1980 as he arrived at his New York apartment building off Central Park.

'Chapman should be executed. I would gladly get rid of him myself,' wrote a fan from Finland on one website. Another fan has already set up an online petition to have Chapman's parole denied. It is already full of messages that show Chapman's safety outside jail would be difficult to maintain. 'If Mark David Chapman is let out of jail, he wouldn't last a day. There are too many people who want him dead,' wrote a New York-based female fan.

Any security conditions for protecting Chapman if he is released will be down to the New York State Parole Board. 'It is up to them. It is nothing to do with the police,' said a spokesman for the New York Police Department.

New York is used to handling such releases. Recently Joel Steinberg, jailed for 17 years after the violent death of his six-year-old daughter, was released from jail in a move that shocked New York and generated huge media interest. Steinberg faced numerous death threats from the public but still travelled back to the city from jail in a white limousine trailed by a pack of journalists. He has since been living in a charity-run halfway house in New York and reportedly considering a career in television.

However, other recent attempts by high-profile prisoners to get parole have failed. In August a California prison board refused to parole Leslie Van Houten for the 15th time. Van Houten was a disciple of notorious 1960s killer Charles Manson and was convicted for her role in cult murders carried out by Manson's 'Family'. Van Houten, now 55 was rejected in her bid for parole despite having been a long-term model prisoner and making a tearful apology for her part in the grisly 1969 crimes.

Chapman has had two previous requests for parole, in 2000 and 2002, denied. In 2000 he outraged Lennon fans by saying he believed his victim would want him to be freed. 'I think he would be liberal, I think he would care,' he said.

He was originally sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, has supported keeping Chapman in prison out of a fear for her own safety and that of their child Sean and Lennon's other son Julian.




*end of article*

if u would like to sign a petition to prevent this muderer - the man who murdered a legend, who killed the inspiration to many peoples lives.

linkage here

http://www.petitiononline.com/rem128/petition.html

 

[DaveC]

Why though?

The man has served 24 years for killing one man. That's more than most people serve for the average single murder.

This is not to excuse what he did, not by a long shot. But the fact remains that he was sentenced to 20 years. It's been 24 now. The guy's served an extra 4 years already past the end of his sentence. So technically I don't see any reason why he should not be let free.

So it was John Lennon he killed. Who gives a shit? It's irrelevant whether it was John Lennon who died or whether it was Amos Jackson from Crabapple Cove, Maine. The fact remains he has served his time and should be let out, and there is not a single reason not to.

If he's being threatened by Lennon fans, well then that's their own idiocy, violence, and hatred coming through, which is exactly what Lennon was against.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

threatening to kill mark david chapman if he's let out of prison... how very mark david chapman of them.

if the man has served his time and he is not deemed to be a "threat to societ," then, unfortunatly, he should be released. the NYS Parole Board doesn't just release people back into the public just because they feel like it. they would have to have a reason why they believe he's been "rehabilitated."

odds are he's denied parole, but if parole is granted, it's granted by people who know a lot more about the person and what he's been doing since 12/8/80 than any one of us, so who am i to say they're wrong?

 

[JessicaAnn]

What's sad is that Mark Chapman is mentally unstable ... have you ever heard the man talk.

He served his sentence, but perhaps for the safety of himself and others (Yoko, Sean, etc) he should be committed to an institution.

 

[BAW]

I agree with Dave and headache on this one...JessicaAnn brings up a good point too. Based on some of the delusional interviews he's given, some pretty recent, I doubt he will be paroled this time...probably not the next time either.

 

[Mullen-Girl]

yeah I agree...he should be put in a mental institution if he has fulfilled his sentance and if they think he's unstable mentally

 

[withnailandi]

he is unstable - thats why he should be kept in some sort of institution

i know a lot of people that would willingly serve time to avenge what he did to john lennon - personally i dont see how that would solve anything

and although i believe all life is equal - certain people mean more to us and affect our lives more, he killed a man who changed not only his artform - but the world, thats why so many people dont want him ever released

 

[DaveC]

and although i believe all life is equal - certain people mean more to us and affect our lives more, he killed a man who changed not only his artform - but the world, thats why so many people dont want him ever released

That's a damn poor reason though.

It should be irrelevant whether he killed Jesus Christ himself or whether he killed James Prior, a 103-year old vegetable in a coma from Vero Beach, FL.

He took a life. That is what matters. He has served his time. Unless you can deem him a threat to society or at a likely risk to reoffend, then let him go!

 

[withnailandi]

well i dont know if hes a threat or not - ive never met the man and discussed who he intends to kill - if anyone - and neither for that matter have u - but there is definitely a reason he keeps applying and being refused release

for his own protection or ours - either one is good enough

 

[Sheltie]

If he did his time, he should be let out. What I don't understand is, a lot of criminals and murders are released earlier then their sentence so why does'nt anyone make big deal of that? Just because he shot a famous person does not mean he should have to serve more then his sentence.

 

[DaveC]

Exactly. I mean, in Canada criminals don't even serve full sentences. They are released after 2/3rds of their time.

Chapman's served over his sentenced time. He should have been let out 4 years ago. If a judge determines he's a risk to reoffend or that he might be a threat, then send him to a halfway house or something.

Unless there is some underlying, big reason not to, then release him.

 

[DaveC]

"And I will not appeal any decision you have. If it’s a decision to keep me here in the prison, I will not appeal it, and I never will. I’d like the opportunity to apologize to Mrs. Lennon. I’ve thought about what it’s like in her mind to be there that night, to see the blood, to hear the screams, to be up all night with the Beatle music playing through her apartment window. …

And there’s something else I want to say. I feel that I see John Lennon now not as a celebrity. I did then. I saw him as a cardboard cutout on an album cover. I was very young and stupid, and you get caught up in the media and the records and the music. And now I – I’ve come to grips with the fact that John Lennon was a person. This has nothing to do with being a Beatle or a celebrity or famous. He was breathing, and I knocked him right off his feet, and I don’t feel because of that I have any right to be standing on my feet here, you know, asking for anything. I don’t have a leg to stand on because I took his right out from under him, and he bled to death. And I’m sorry that ever occurred.

And I want to talk about Mrs. Lennon again. I can’t imagine her pain. I can’t feel it. I’ve tried to think about what it would be like if somebody harmed my family, and there’s just no way to make up for that, and if I have to stay in prison the rest of my life for that one person’s pain, everybody else to the side for a second, just that one person’s pain, I will. …

Again, I’m not saying these things for – for you to give me any kind of consideration for letting me go. I’m saying that because they are real, and it happened to me, and I felt her pain then, and I can honestly say I didn’t want to feel it up until then. It’s a horrible thing to, you know, realize what you’ve done."

-- Statement of Mark David Chapman to the New York Parole Board, 2000.

 

[Zoorock Girl!]

He murdered someone. Forgive me for not really giving a rats ass what happens to him.

That is, unless of course he's sorry for what he's done. Has he indicated that that is the case?

 

[DaveC]

Read what I just posted.

 

[BAW]

Exactly. I mean, in Canada criminals don't even serve full sentences. They are released after 2/3rds of their time.

Chapman's served over his sentenced time. He should have been let out 4 years ago. If a judge determines he's a risk to reoffend or that he might be a threat, then send him to a halfway house or something.

Unless there is some underlying, big reason not to, then release him.

Not to nitpick here and I am pretty much in agreement with you on this issue, but his sentence is 20 years to life...meaning he can start applying for parole at 20 years time served. You aren't automatically released when you reach your minimum sentence.

The parole board takes a lot of things into account and if they don't feel he's ready, he can actually serve "life"

The Manson family women are a perfect example of that. They are never going to walk out of prison even though they are eligible for parole and have served their minimum sentences.

 

[DaveC]

It was 20 to life?

I was under the impression that it was 20.

 

[BAW]

Nope..20 to life. If it was straight 20, he would have been released 4 years ago. I don't think you have to apply for parole if you've completed a straight non-life sentence.

From CNN.com

Mark David Chapman, 45, was sentenced to life in prison in 1980 after pleading guilty to shooting Lennon outside his Manhattan apartment in 1980. Under state law, he became eligible for parole once he had served 20 years in prison.

 

[pax]

Crabapple Cove, Maine

I'd be even sadder if he got out and then shot Hawkeye Pierce.

 

[JessicaAnn]

his sentence is 20 years to life

Then I take back what I said ... from the original article that was posted, I thought his sentence was 20 years.

 

[The Sage]

John Lennon's life is not worth more than anyone else's, no matter how famous he was or how bloated his ego was. Mark Chapman should be judged as the murderer of one able-bodied (i'm mentioning this cause of the rather fuzzy euthanasia area) man, rather than the murderer of John Lennon. The name means nothing.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i don't understand why all these fans are calling for mark to be executed. methinks john has already forgiven him for what he's done. i agree with the sentiments of most of you that the only reason some are against his release is because of who he killed, which isn't important. not to mention john wouldn't be for the killing of another man.

if he'd shot some random unarmed person on the street, you'd all be saying he served his minimum, given up the best years of his life, and he's truely sorry so he should be released. it seems to me that mark has realized what he did wrong and i doubt he's going to go after yoko if he's released.

 

[Phalanx]

Why should we care? Living in the fear that Chapman will face is more punishment than most of us would want to live through.

 

[arw]

This has always been a sensitive subject for me. I was a 6 year old kid when he was murdered and I remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard about his death. I'll never forget it and it's the first time I remember really watching the news instead of it being just something my parents had on the TV that I didn't understand. I've always loved John Lennon and it's always saddeded me to no end that his life ended the way it did. I was supposed to write a 15-20 page paper about him for a music class in college and I switched to Paul McCartney instead (this was before the U2 obsession kicked in or it would have been on one of them...). I couldn't do the paper because eventually I'd have to write about his death and it was altoghter too stressful for me to do. My professor wanted as much detail as possible on his life and that meant I'd have include as much detail as possible on the night of his death, including my own personal reactions to it as much as I could remember. I just couldn't write about that. It was too hard and I had to give up and pick someone else.

That said I do agreee that even though this man took John's life if he has served his time according to the state laws and is not a threat to society then I think he should be released even though I'd feel better if he just rotted away in a jail cell for the rest of his life. It's not up to me to decide that one so if he's done his time then he should be released. However, I don't think it's a good idea for him to be released for his own safety. I honestly think in the end he'll get what he gave John. I think there's far too many fans out there that want this man to pay with his own life for taking John away, even if it goes against every thing John believed in.

 

[DaveC]

I'd be even sadder if he got out and then shot Hawkeye Pierce.

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to pick up on that.